


Path Of Shadows

by MoonLightInTheShadow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Challenge Response, Dark Harry, Death, Grim Reapers, M/M, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-24 15:56:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8378242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonLightInTheShadow/pseuds/MoonLightInTheShadow
Summary: A response to The Modern Sorcerer's challenge. Harry goes after Sirius through the Veil and has a talk with Death. A talk that will change his future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This story is the response to the Veil challenge of The Modern Sorcerer. I first posted it on FanFiction.Net, so you'll find it there under the same name. l feel it necessary to warn that I might take some time between each update. I try to make two-weeks or monthly updates, but I do not always have the time or I my muse has just decided to leave. I do try to finish my stories, I know the frustration of a good story unfinished because someone abandoned it. It's not something I'm willing to do. Also, English is not my native language, so I apologize for any mistakes I might do. I will gladly correct any mistakes that are pointed to me.
> 
> The description of the challenge is as it follows:
> 
> The Veil Challenge
> 
> The Veil of Death, a mysterious archway said to lead the user into the realms of Death, if only they knew how true that was. Sirius Black was gone, had fallen through the archway during the Battle of the Ministry, but when Harry Potter dove through the Veil after him he found himself somewhere else – standing face to face with Death itself.
> 
> Requirements
> 
> When Harry falls through the Veil, Death is waiting for him.
> 
> Death takes the Horcrux from Harry's scar and tasks him with finding the rest.
> 
> Harry is given a power/tool/weapon/army to use upon returning to the 'real world'.
> 
> While Harry can side with either Dumbledore or Voldemort, he is his own man (who is going to kill Voldemort no matter what his morality).
> 
> Morality
> 
> Any. Dark
> 
> Pairing
> 
> Any. Slash. 
> 
> For more information on the challenge, go to The Modern Sorcerer forum: The Book of Shadows Forum at FanFiction.Net
> 
> Disclaimer: don't own Harry Potter as my name is not J.K. Rowling.
> 
> Enjoy your reading!

Only one couple were still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch. . . .

And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place.

Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing — Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second. . . .

But Sirius did not reappear. "SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, "SIRIUS!" He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, he, Harry, would pull him back out again. . . .

 

Harry saw out of the corner of his eyes Lupin reaching to him, obviously trying to stop him. But Harry was faster, all those years running from his cousin and his adventures at Hogwarts had kept him in shape. The last thing he saw as he went through the arch was the despair on Lupin's face.

The veil in the arch seemed to wrap around him, surrounding him in such a way he felt it gooey texture all over his body. And then it was gone and he stumbled into a world of darkness. He squinted, turning his head around. The veil was the only source of light he could see at the moment, and its shimmering surface was not very reassuring to him. Standing up slowly, he waited for his eyes to adapt as he took conscience of the rocky floor he was standing in.

There seemed to be a thick mist everywhere, making it difficult to see beyond it. There were shadows and eerie voices that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The greyness of all of it was disturbing to Harry, and he could swear the mist twisted and reached for him as if it wanted to touch him.

Gulping, Harry took a few steps away from the questionable safety of the veil. A shiver went through him went some mist wrapped around his feet and another trendil seemed to caress his check.

"Lumos."

His whisper was lost among all the unintelligible voices and the soft light coming from his wand didn't reach far in the mist. But it seemed to keep the mist at bay, and he would take as much as he got at this moment.

"Sirius?" His voice cracked, and he gulped some more "Sirius!"

This time his voice stayed strong and he kept calling for him, getting farther away from the veil. He swore that he saw shadows within the mist and sometimes the mist seemed to carry answers to him. But no matter how much he tried to call for him no one seemed to come. Harry looked back, the soft light of the veil almost gone through the mist.

He didn't know what to do. He refused to go back without Sirius, but if he went too far he wouldn't be able to find the way back to the archway and then both him and Sirius would be trapped here forever. Biting his lip he looked around, trying to make sense of the mist.

A dark shadow was forming somewhere in his right. He felt goosebumps and his whole body was screaming for him to run and forget about everything. But he was determined to find Sirius, and was not going to lose his chance that the figure might be him.

As he came closer to the figure, the feeling of danger increased and so did his fear. His mind was screaming at him to get away, that they were not powerful enough to face this entity. Harry hesitated, the oppressing aura making him feel defenseless in a way he hadn't felt in years.

But it was already too late, as the dark shadow was coming towards him at such speed that Harry knew he wouldn't be able to escape, no matter how fast he was. The darkness emanating from it was so strong that he had to fight the instinct to cower, and it was cloaked in such a way that you wouldn't be able to guess what was beyond it hood.

"Harry Potter." It was a whisper but with such strength that it might have well just shouted. "I've been waiting for you."

Somehow, that didn't reassure Harry at all.

 

Remus didn't have time to stop at the sight of Harry disappearing into the arch, leaving him reaching for the air. People were still fighting and Bellatrix Lestrange was quick in engaging him in a duel. Remus reflected her curses easily enough, letting his anger and grief show in his fighting.

He should have been faster, should have stopped Harry, should have stopped Sirius. But now it didn't matter, all that mattered was to destroy the woman that had dared to take both of them away from him. The wolf inside him was screaming for blood.

He followed Lestrange through the Ministry, feeling Dumbledore not too far behind. Lestrange fired another curse and he dodged, but another one was already there slicing through his arm. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he growled and sent a series of spells.

Her scream of rage told him that at least one of them has hit her, but the wound in his arm was making it numb and he had to stop to look over it. It was a deep cut and blood was leaking from it, along with some kind of fluid he had no doubt was poison. Cursing, he spelled som bandages around the wound and hoped that it wasn't a dangerous poison.

Lestrange was fighting against the magical ropes that he had fired at her, and not wanting to risk her getting out he aimed his wand to stun her. However before he could do anything, he was flung back by an unexpected attacker.

Groaning as his head crashed against the wall, Remus blinked furiously trying to clear his vision and see who had attacked him. And then Dumbledore raced past him and his heart stopped for a moment as he watched him and Voldemort fight.

 

"Who are you?" Harry cringed inwardly at the hostility in his voice, making powerful entities angry was not a good idea. At all.

It laughed and Harry flinched at the raspy and cold sound, with its high pitches and dangerous tones. The figure stepped closer and Harry had to restrain himself as he felt the darkness surround him.

"I believe you mortals call me Death."

He wanted to deny it. He wanted to deny it so bad that he almost shouted it out loud. But deep in his mind he knew it was the truth. He watched numbly as his wand fell to the ground, the light flickering once, twice before dying completely.

"You are a very interesting human, Harry Potter. Very interesting indeed." Death raised its cloaked hand and this time Harry didn't fight as he flinched back. It didn't stop Death as a cold bony... hand grabbed his chin. He was shaking, he knew that. "And you have something even more interesting with you."

He had no warning as the hand moved suddenly to his forehead wrapping like a claw around his scar. Pain erupted in his head and he could hear someone screaming in the background. It felt as if someone was trying to rip his mind out and he could feel something pulling and fighting. Another wave of pain took over him as something snapped inside his head and then it was gone.

He was laying in the floor, sobbing and shivering. He felt wetness in his forehead and when he touched his scar he drew back blood. Painfully he sit up and waited a few seconds as the world stopped moving around. The pain was receding now and he could feel lighter somehow.

He blinked away the remaining tears, and pushed the dull pain aside as he remembered on whose presence he was with. Death wasn't paying him attention though, instead examining a ball of dark energy in his hand. The anger emanating from Death was so strong that he was relieved that it was not directed at him.

"It seems somebody hasn't been good, daring to defy me." It hissed, "I had wondered how this particular soul had escaped my grasp for so long."

It closed his hand around the soul, and Harry now noticed it was screeching. He didn't want to know what that soul was feeling. However he did want to know how that thing had ended up in his scar. If only he could remember how to talk again.

"Wha-what's that?"

"Harry Potter." It seemed to consider him for a second. "This is a horcrux, a piece of the soul of the creature that calls itself Voldemort. It was embedded in your scar, and hold back by spell of Lily Potter powered by your magic. You may find your magic comes easier to you."

Harry didn't know what to feel. He hadn't even know he had a piece of Voldemort's soul inside him. He shivered, at least it wasn't there anymore. Death was observing the horcrux once more, seemingly forgetting he was there.

"Interesting. This is not the only soul shard. Why, it seems that he did seven. No wonder he fell to insanity. Such a shame, he was so promising. Wait."

Harry jumped back at the sudden exclamation and held his breath, waiting for It to do something, say something. Instead, Death went still and his presence seemed to stretch past them. Harry considered running now, when It was not focused on him. The arch was still visible on the distance and he might be able to run fast enough to get through it.

"Harry Potter." Or maybe not "I have a task for you."

This was really not his day.

 

Luna hummed lightly, binding one of the last Death Eaters and limping back to Neville. Hermione and Ginny were helping Ron, and didn't pay attention as she passed past them. Neville had a cut in his forehead, and was holding his side grimacing, Death Eaters stunned around him.

"Harry?" He asked as soon as he saw her.

"He went through the archway."

Neville looked at her sharply, a little pale but seemed to accept it. If she was not worried, there was nothing to be worried about. He sighed and looked around, noticing Dumbledore had disappeared and so had Professor Lupin. He wasn't the only one to notice it, some wizards were leaving the room. Neville exchanged a look with Luna and they went after them.

 

Harry didn't know whether to laugh, cry or just scream in frustration. Instead he looked dumbfounded at Death, trying to make sense of what he had been ordered to do. Because he had no doubt it was an order, no matter how It had phrased the request.

Harry pinched his nose, taking a deep breath and reminding at himself he was dealing with Death.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to go back, find all the other horcruxes, keep them together and give them back to you, without knowing where are they at and having virtually no way to obtain them. Oh and let's not forget that Voldemort is out for my blood and so will block anything I do to kill him."

"Yes. And I will even give you a gift, so you are better prepared to do this task."

"Really?" Now, this might be interesting.

"Yes. It's an ability that only powerful wizards can obtain, and it's already dormant in your blood so it won't be a problem. It's called Mage Sight. You might need some time to grow used to it at the beginning."

Harry had to keep his excitement in check. Even if he was irritated at having to Death's work, it would help him in the end. He would find the horcruxes and destroy Voldemort while at the same time gaining some power that could help him defeat him.

However, he still hadn't found Sirius, and he knew that Death was his best chance at finding him. If was cunning enough, he might be able to get his godfather back. With this idea in mind, he spoke again.

"Fine I'll do it. But I would like to ask a favor." He had to be very careful here, he knew. "My godfather, Sirius Black, crossed the Veil, and I would like to find him and bring him back with me."

Death was silent for so long, Harry worried he might have made a big mistake and offended It. But there was no sign of aggression coming of It, if anything it seemed to be amused.

"I really like you, Harry Potter." He wasn't sure if that was actually good. "Sirius Black is now in my Realm and belongs to me." Harry bristled at that and opened his mouth "However," it said before Harry could say anything "I might be interested in making a deal with you. Tell me Harry Potter, what are you willing to do in order to get your godfather back?"

Harry was ready to give an answer, but something made him stop. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, and Death, no matter what attitude of indifference It had expressed so far was certainly ruthless and powerful, and not someone to mess around with. Was it really worth giving it all away just to get his godfather back? He knew the answer.

"Everything."

 

Dumbledore was frowning deeply as he deflected yet another spell and enchanted some of the statues to attack Voldemort. Everything had gone wrong this evening. Harry was supposed to have fight with Voldemort, and he would be there to save him. Sirius would be gone and Harry would despair and turn to him for advice. The ministry would finally accept the return of Voldemort and as they had not prepared would turn to him to guide them.

Everything had gone well, until the stupid kid had raced after his godfather. Unless he found a way to get the boy back, all his plans would fall apart. He sensed some of his students coming into the Atrium, but Lupin was already there to keep them away. Longbottom had shown some promise today, so if the worst came true he could mold him into his savior. And then he would not have to worry about Harry's horcrux.

And then another figure came running into the Atrium, and the surprised shouts told him who was it. How had he survived? No matter now, he would figure it out later. He conjured water around Voldemort and threw him back, just as the fireplaces came to life and the Minister came out. Maybe everything would still work out in the end.

 

Harry had to calm his beating heart as he watched the Headmaster and Voldemort stop the fight and then Voldemort disappearing taking Lestrange with him. The Minister was stuttering while the Headmaster tried to control the situation.

Luna touched his arm and smiled slightly and Neville nodded to him. Remus was looking at him worried but it was also obvious he was dying to know what had happened.

Harry suppressed a shiver, remembering his deal with Death. Maybe it was a mistake, but Sirius was back with him and he would do what Death had asked of him. Sirius was going to be furious, he knew, but he had been honest when he said that he would do anything for him.

Even if he might have sold his soul, even if what he had agreed to was his damnation and might destroy everything he was, it was all worth it in the end. He would not regret it.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry was fuming. He did not show it outwardly though, and the Headmaster was unaware as he kept talking of his recklessness and how he should have let him manage the situation at the Ministry. Soon after Voldemort had disappeared, aurors had come back from the Department of Mysteries with all the bound Death Eaters and Sirius. Harry did not waste any time in demanding a fair trial for his godfather.

The Minister had no option but to comply, after his declaration of how his godfather had never gotten any trial, that he was innocent and the Ministry should fix an error done years ago especially now that Voldemort was back.

Needless to say that Dumbledore was not happy that he was acting on his own for once. But Harry was beyond of caring now, and he didn't bother to dignify him with a answer even after he stopped berating him and started explaining his behavior these past months.

Harry didn't think for a second that Dumbledore was telling the whole truth, specially after he revealed that he was afraid that Voldemort would be able to posses him. Harry knew right there that Dumbledore had known about the horcrux. He was just a pawn for him after all. Well, he refused to follow blindly anymore. Harry didn't wait for him to finish whatever he was saying as he asked a question of his own.

"Why did he want that prophecy? And why did it have my name on it?"

Dumbledore looked disapprovingly at him for interrupting him, but went to grab his Pensieve. Harry closed his eyes for a second, wishing his headache away. Death hadn't bothered to tell him how to switch his Sight off, and all the colors were making it very difficult to concentrate. It was a wonder he hadn't exploded yet, truthfully.

"This, Harry, is the full prophecy that was made years ago. I hope you understand the implications of it, and why I have acted the way I did."

Harry stopped his sneer before Dumbledore could see it and focused on the image of Trelawney. She appeared in a trance, just like that time third year, and her voice changed completely as she recited the prophecy:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

Harry knew he was trembling, and he avoided looking at Dumbledore hoping the Headmaster would mistake the shaking as fear instead of the cold rage that was cursing through him. If he looked at the Headmaster, he would not be able to hold back. Not one bit.

"So I have to kill him." His voice sounded flat.

"Yes, Harry." The Headmaster seemed ready to start talking again, probably to offer help or something like that. Harry stood up before he could do it and started walking towards the door, pausing only for a second to look over his shoulder, his words laced with sarcasm as he spoke.

"Have a good day, Headmaster."

"Harry…" He started, but he was already out of the door.

:::

Hermione woke up with a gasp followed by a groan at the feeling of her body on fire. Madam Pomfrey was waving her wand over her, frowning slightly and tilting a potion into her mouth. Hermione didn't protest as she drank it and the next one and the next one until the nasty taste of them faded.

Madam Pomfrey leaned away to talk with someone but Hermione was already slipping back into unconsciousness. This continued for a few days, and she was vaguely aware of her friends visiting her. Finally she woke up one day and didn't feel the grogginess of these past days.

Hermione sat up slowly, feeling way too weak for her liking. Grimacing at the pain in her muscles she looked around and spotting Ron sleeping in a chair besides her bed. Harry was nowhere to be seen. Ron stirred and blinked a few times awake, immediately noticing her.

"Hermione! You're awake!"

His shout brought the attention of Madam Pomfrey who hurried over to her side. She checked her over and seemed satisfied with the results. She proceeded to explain the curse and the treatment, describing each of the potions she needed to take before leaving her to Ron.

"What happened?"

"Well, we captured all the Death Eaters, and the Ministry knows now that Voldemort is back. Sirius and Harry went through the veil but came back, no one knows what happened and they claim to not remember anything. There is a trial waiting for Sirius by the way. There were some injuries but everybody is healed. Tonks is at St. Mungos but she will be alright."

Hermione filled all that information away, but noticed how Ron seemed to be avoiding something, and Harry's absence was glaringly obvious. So she asked:

"Where is Harry?"

Ron hesitated, some frustration and anger visible in his face but thankfully he didn't seem to be mad at him. Hermione waited patiently, knowing that there must be at reason as to why he wasn't there.

"He is avoiding everybody. I've tried to talk with him but he wouldn't let me say anything. I don't know what is his deal, but he hasn't let anyone near him at all."

Hermione frowned worried, and wondered what had happened to make her friend close himself to the world. As soon as she was dismissed she would hunt him down and interrogate him, and no one would stop her. Not even Harry.

:::

Sirius didn't know what was happening. He remembered being thrown back by that bitch Lestrange into the veil and then wandering in a strange world filled with shadows. He had been lost, without any sense of being at all, and then a dark shadow had come and took him.

When he had open his eyes again, he was back at the Ministry with aurors restraining him and not long after that Harry was demanding a trial for him. After they took him away, he hadn't hear anything at all of him, and he was left alone in one of the cells on the Ministry with a watch making sure he didn't escape.

Finally, Shacklebolt appeared the next day and told him in curt tones that he was being taken to the courtroom where his trial was being held. A look from him told Sirius that this was not the place to ask questions, when others were listening to their conversation.

So Sirius kept his questions to himself and sat in the chair as they told him, facing the court with his chin high and waiting for his freedom at last.

:::

Harry knew that his friends were worried about him. But after what happened at the Ministry, he couldn't bear the thought of them being hurt again because of him. Specially now that he had done that deal with Death, and having that prophecy hanging over him. He knew Hermione and Ron would disapprove, and possibly turn against him. He didn't want to risk that.

But today he wasn't able to avoid them, not when they were all witness in Sirius trial. And so he was put face to face agains a determined Hermione and grim Ron. Harry resisted the urge to pinch his nose, and instead just went resigned to the corner that Hermione was pointing at.

"Spill it. Now." She certainly didn't waste any time.

"I don't want to talk about it." But he could be even more stubborn than her.

She glared at him and he glared back, both of them holding each other stares and refusing to back down. It was a silent battle of dominance and determination, and after a few long minutes Hermione finally faltered and looked away.

"Fine. Whatever." She ground out. "But we are still your friends and whatever you think we shouldn't know, let me tell you, you are wrong. So when you decide to take your head out of your ass, come and talk to us. In the meantime, we will always be at your side."

And then she stalked out, Ron running after her looking at him apologetically, but no hesitation as he left him alone. Harry didn't have time to let the conversation sink in before they were called in and the trial started.

:::

SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!

I'm sure we all know by now about the battle in the Department of Mysteries and the subsequent capture of the infamous Sirius Black. Readers were surprised by the demands of one Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived to give him a trial. Some were horrified when they learned that Black had never been given one.

In an interesting turn of events, yesterday the awaited trial was held at the Ministry. Despite the claims made from Harry Potter, most of us believed him to be guilty of at least one of the charges. For those who don't know, the charges against Sirius Black were: being involved in illegal activities of the group known as Death Eaters, being in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, selling the Potters out, killing of twelve muggles and Peter Pettigrew, escaping from Azkaban and aiding on the escape of other prisoners.

After Verisaterum was administered, we quickly learned that in fact he had not committed any of these crimes! The only illegal action he had taken was escaping from the prison and it was found also that he is an illegal Animagus. The public were horrified when they knew they had sentenced an innocent man to a life time in Azkaban, had he not escaped two years ago. In light of this new knowledge, he was let free, with an hefty amount of money as an apology and the reminder to register his Animagus form.

Sirius Black was seen last with his godson Harry Potter, another fact that most were shocked to learn, leaving the Ministry of Magic. Some other friends were following the pair…

:::

They only had two more days of school left when the article on The Prophet came out. Harry made sure to leave the Great Hall before anyone could start asking questions to him. He was intercepted by the Headmaster on the way to the Gryffindor Tower and Harry had to stifle a growl of frustration at his demand to follow him.

These past days he had been concentrating to understand more his Mage Sight, and so far he had only been able to turn it off for brief periods of time. Hermione had thankfully let him alone, and he had shared some meals with them in exchange, even if he didn't talk at all. A silent apology but still a reminder that he was not ready to say anything to them.

So it was a far more calm Harry who entered the office that evening, without any bright colors and a stressful night clouding his emotions. Which didn't mean that he was happy to be here, specially when the Headmaster sat down and looked long at him. Fawkes was also there, and he directed a honest smile to him.

"I know you are planning to stay all summer with Sirius." Harry tensed, not liking his tone one bit. "However, you walked out the other day before I could explain everything to you. I'm afraid you won't be able to stay with your godfather all summer, wait let me talk. That night years ago, when your mother sacrificed herself, she used Ancient Magic to protect you. Those wards live on your mother's blood, offering you unique protection as long as you stay with your Aunt. So you see, it is necessary that you go to your family's house to keep them active."

Harry wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and rage and throw things to the old man who thought could rule every aspect of his life. Even if what he was saying was true, he remembered Death saying that the Ancient Magic of his mother was gone with the horcrux. So he didn't know if those wards were still in place or not. Readying himself to a fight with the Headmaster, he opened his mouth.

No. Say you will do it. The sudden thought shocked him enough that he sat back and closed his mouth. He had no doubt of who was its owner. Why? He tried to send back, feeling that dark and foreign presence in his mind. You will need to train. If you go with your godfather, you will not be able to do it. But with your family, you can sneak away and no one will be the wiser.

Harry gritted his teeth, but knew he could not defy Death no matter how much he wanted to. It was one thing to go against Dumbledore and completely different one to go against Death. And it was true he needed training. Harry reminded himself that he had chosen this as he touched the amulet around his neck, and looked back to the Headmaster.

"Very well, I'll go. But I'll be in contact with Sirius and as soon as I can I'm going to Grimmauld Place. No matter what you say."

He directed that last bit not only to Dumbledore but also Death. He sensed its amusement in his head before he acquiesced and left him alone with the Headmaster, who didn't seem so happy but reluctantly agreed.

:::

Dumbledore watched the boy go with worry. A week after the battle and he still didn't know how he and Sirius had survived the Veil. Harry was being uncooperative and he knew he hadn't talked with his friends. Sirius knew nothing and was of no use right now, busy as he was with reclaiming his Lordship and seeing the state of his House.

Harry was avoiding everybody and seemed to not trust him at all. He had to regain his trust before it was too late. Already he had observed how the boy was becoming more independent and not following him as he used to.

But he had hopes for him still, specially after he had managed to convince him to go with his family. Maybe he could still work with him and bring him back to the path he needed to be on. The survival of Sirius changed his plans but it wasn't anything he couldn't work around.

So he reclined back and watched as Fawkes flew out of the office, assured in the knowledge that everything would work out.

:::

Harry played with the amulet between his fingers as he watched Hogwarts disappear in the distance. Things were still tense between him and his friends, but at least he was spending time with them. Neville and Luna entered their compartment and engaged in a conversation with Ron and Hermione.

Harry looked at the amulet between his fingers, the oval crystal holding the slivers of Voldemort soul. They were dancing around and forming different shapes, looking like a ever-changing mist. Death had given it to him as afterthought, claiming that it would be easier to hold all the pieces in there before Harry had to give them to It.

They seemed to sense he was looking as the shapes were more agitated and pressing against the borders of the crystal. When he touched it to the tip of his finger, he could almost swear that it pulsed back at him, and it felt warmer for a few seconds.

Harry let it fall back hanging around his neck and looked up, freezing when he saw Luna's eyes on him. She smiled lightly glancing to the amulet then back to him. It's alright. Don't worry, her eyes seemed to say, I won't say anything. Harry blinked and nodded back to her, looking out of the window. Thank you.

This was going to be an interesting summer.


	3. Chapter 3

"A Grim Reaper"

"Correct. My servant, collecting souls and carrying out assignments I might deem appropriate."

He wanted to ask what kind of assignments, but already knew the answer. He was dealing with Death, and so it could only be death and violence.

Was he really able to do this? Kill without remorse? In this otherworldly place, he wasn't able to conceal what his soul sang to him in the grayness of the mist.

"Okay."

Pain. Unbearable pain. He was being burned alive, stabbed over and over age his blood boiling and body being broken. It was the Cruciatus and the horcrux together and greatly amplified.

Unlike the pull from the horcrux extraction, this force was clawing its way in, shredding everything it encountered. And his soul, clearly exposed now, was reached and touched by the terrifying power that branded him and left his mark on it.

Make it stop! Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop. The pain reached a new level, until everything stopped. And the world went back into place.

:::

Privet Drive was silent, no movement could be seen in the soft light of dawn. Some people were leaving for work, but besides that, the town was dormant. A dog barked in the distance and a figure appeared running at the end of the street.

Harry Potter kept a steady rhythm, letting his senses expand and become a part of him. Even if he had been a little annoyed at the beginning when Death had ordered him to do some workout, he could see how it was helping him to get a job firmer control in all his abilities. And also improve his stamina, something that would come in handy when he was finally deemed ready to start his assignments.

He was able now to use his Mage Sight whenever he wanted, and had slowly been incorporating it to his normal sight, knowing it was an advantage over others. He was able to sustain it for a long time without it leaving him exhausted or being a distraction from other things.

He had been surprised to find that most things had at least a trace of magic in them, and had theorized that it was anything that had energy on it or was alive. It was like a fluctuating energy with different colors and shapes that changed constantly. He still didn't understand any of them yet.

Death Magic, however, was way more complicated. Harry remembered very well the moment that Death had branded him with his unique form of magic, making Harry a Grim Reaper, one of Death's servants. It had hurt like hell, maybe even more than the extraction of the horcrux, changing his soul irreparably.

But just because he was now able to manipulate Death, didn't mean that he could use it as he wanted. In fact, he didn't even know how to use it yet. Death had insisted that until he proved himself worthy, he wouldn't learn all the aspects of it. But it meant that the Magic lay within him uncontrolled and begging to be released, manifesting outward at random moments.

Harry sighed when another wave flooded through him and the world fell to all shades of grey, signaling that he had go to the Shadow World yet again. He had long ago figured out that the intensity of the light or darkness of anything meant the lifespan it had, even if couldn't tell exactly how long it was. He had also seen sometimes some of the other Death's servants in this world, but they tended to ignore him.

He finally reached his house and slowed down to a jog before finally stopping. The dullness of the Shadow World hadn't disappear and he let thoughts fade away as he reached inside him. There were times where he could swear something resonated in his soul when he was here, like it ached to stay in the shadow world. But today wasn't one of those days.

Opening his eyes he wasn't that surprised when he found himself standing in his room. He had found early on that these kind of exercises left his body to move around by itself, and still not suffer any kind of damage. At least it meant he didn't have to deal with the Dursleys more than necessary, and so far they had left him alone.

He cleaned himself and changed clothes, knowing he didn't have too much time left until one of the other Grim Reapers would come to get him to training. His training consisted on knowing how to defend and attack, and how to use blades and a scythe, sometimes some other weapons. He had surprised his instructors by how quickly he was learning to fight, even if he still hadn't been able to defeat them.

They also trained him on reflexes and swiftness and how to blend in the shadows and not be seen unless he wanted to be seen. These were very difficult to him, and they kept complaining on how noisy he was. Which just aggravated him more and make him unable to stand upright without being as silent as a stone.

But the real training, and the reason why even if he was adept on most of the other subjects Death still didn't deem him worthy of learning all the aspects of Death magic, was killing. Each day, in the evening, Death brought him one soul that had reached its last days and Harry had to try kill the person. Every evening he failed and watched helplessly as they died before his eyes by Death hand. And until he succeeded in that, he was stuck.

:::

Death was observing him. No matter what other duties It had, a part was always keeping an eye on the boy, because It could be everywhere at the same time. Death knew he would break soon. Otherwise Death wouldn't have offered that deal to him, but the boy had potential.

It was in his soul, that particular darkness that made a person distinct from others. It was there and it had always been, before Death had even left his mark on the boy. Soon the boy would surrender to the call and accept what he had to do.

Death was curious also. It was amused at the struggle of the boy but that in itself was something that had not happened before. It's Grim Reapers always tried to deny what they were at the beginning but fell to the pull in no time.

Harry Potter was different. He was a contradiction. He should have died but he lived. He was Dark but he was Light. He was Grim Reaper but he was Human. He was an impossibility make true and Death was curious about what changes would his presence bring to the world.

:::

It was just like any other day. Harry had woken up, done his daily workout and training, and go back to the Dursleys proceeding to ignore them as they ignored him. He would study and review all he knew, and practice with his Mage Sight which he was understanding more each day. His homework from Hogwarts was already done and he had taken to ordering books to satisfy his newly founded thirst for knowledge.

He was reading an interesting text on the theory of Transfiguration when the atmosphere in his room changed and he switched to the shadow world as Death showed itself. Harry reluctantly lowered his book and stood up, bracing himself for the unpleasant task. Death didn't say anything, as usual, as it took him to the place where the next victim was waiting.

Harry hadn't had time to look around when Death talked to him.

"Harry Potter", for once its voice sounded irritated, "You are going to kill this man today. I want you to forget all you believe for one minute and just look at the man and kill him."

Harry wanted to protest. He wanted to rebel and refuse to do it. But after two weeks of continuous death after death, he was becoming desensitized and tired of the same. And he could tell that Death had had enough of his denial to kill, and no matter what Harry would end this day being a killer.

He wanted to refuse, but he had known what it meant. He knew from the beginning that accepting to become a Grim Reaper would mean that he would take lives. And he didn't have a problem at all back then. Sure, he had been desperate to save Sirius, but he hadn't feel remorse for once second. So what was holding him back?

Death stepped aside and Harry took in his surroundings. They were in a side alley, full of shit and garbage. And there, the man was lying hidden from the street. He recognized him. Even with all the filth covering him, the face of the man the same than the one from the news. This man had killed a dozen people and was on the run. The swelling of his ankle told Harry why he was here, and not hiding somewhere else.

Harry looked at him and kept repeating the question in his mind. He looked at the small blade Death had placed in his hand, and knew why. He was afraid. Afraid of what he would become, because he knew once he surrendered nothing would be ever the same. There wouldn't be any regrets, no place to look back.

He closed his hand around the handle of the blade and stopped thinking. The man looked up and he could only widen up his eyes before the blade went through his heart. A clean wound, no blood spilled as it was a Grim Reaper kill. Harry stood looking down at him, showing no reaction. Death smiled under its hood.

:::

Far away from there, a young woman was dancing in the grass and suddenly stopped. Unfocused eyes became sharp and looked up to the sky before they regained their dreamy look. Luna Lovegood smiled. It had begun.

:::

Malfoys do not bow to anyone.

Draco Malfoy was having an horrible summer so far. His father had almost went to prison but managed to bribe Ministry officials out of it. However, he was confined to Malfoy Mansion and watched closely, leaving him with very small room to influence in the Ministry. His mother was more wound up than usually, showing that the situation was distressing her.

Malfoys do not bow to anyone.

And the Dark Lord was back. Draco had thought that he would follow him without doubt, bringing back the glory old days when the Dark was not frowned upon. But instead, Death Eaters were sent out into attacks coming back injured only to face the anger of the creature calling himself Dark Lord and suffer more torture.

Malfoys do not bow to anyone.

Draco did not understand. He had been told of the honor of following the Dark Lord. His family followed the Old Ways and they had taught him all the different Dark Magic. He was told that the Dark Lord would get the old traditions back and the Dark would be accepted once more.

Malfoys do not bow to anyone.

He only saw destruction. People groveling at the feet of the creature. Torture and pain, not only towards muggles, but also, against their own. His father being disgraced and bowing as he tried to get the creature's recognition. And their world remained the same, prejudiced against the Dark and now even more. But, above anything else, he remembered the words that his father had ingrained deeply on him.

Malfoys do not bow to anyone.

:::

Voldemort was not happy. All the Death Eaters he had sent to the Ministry proved themselves useless as they got caught. Malfoy, even if he had escaped Azkaban, was a disgrace. And he still didn't know the dammed prophecy!

It was Potter and Dumbledore. They always managed to be in his way, spoiling all his plans and complicating things. He was going to need to get the prophecy another way. But it would need to be put aside, the incoming war demanding more attention right now.

Potter. The boy had been a surprise for once. From what Bellatrix had told him, he had gone after Black and come back from the Veil with his godfather. And he didn't show up until the last seconds of the battle with Dumbledore, not bothering to even join the fight. It was out of character of the boy.

However, Voldemort had no doubt the menace would still stand against him. And the prophecy said he had the power to defeat him. He couldn't be allowed to stay alive. And next time, the boy would die by his hand, and then the world would be his at last.

:::

Vernon hated the boy. Since that first day when he had been left on their house, and Petunia had told him what he was. He was abnormal, a freak, and deserved to be treated as such. His very presence had brought tension and problems to his family, which made him despise the boy even more. He had thought that not having to deal with the boy for most of the year would make things better, instead they made them worse. He blamed the boy.

And now his lot dared to come and threat him, saying that if they caught him harming the boy he would suffer the consequences. He had sneered at them, but left the boy alone. As much as he hated the boy, his sense of self-preservation told him to stay away.

It wasn't just the warning from them, it was the boy itself. He had been different. Not speaking with them and disappearing all the time. But there was a glint in his eyes that made Vernon stay away. He was dangerous now. He always had been, but never bother to act upon it, even when they treated him as dirt. Now, Vernon wasn't so sure about that.

The boy was absent when he got back from work. Petunia greeted him and said she was going out for tea with some of the neighbors. Dudley was with some friends. Vernon enjoyed the alone time, watching TV. Some time after, the front door opened.

"Are you back, Pet?"

He looked back when no one answered. The boy was there. Vernon was ready to sneer at him, but the boy was smirking. Fear took over him. That look… It wasn't human. It promised dangerous things. It promised pain. Vernon gulped as the boy passed past him without bothering to look at him. He slumped back in relief when he got out of sight, and tried to put it in the back of his mind as he reassured himself that it was his house and he was in control.

:::

He had always known the truth. From when he was a child, and his mind created horrible scenarios involving his family. Never acting upon it, choosing to appear as defenseless as it protected him more and let him stay unnoticed. His family knew. No matter how much they neglected him, they never dared to really hurt him in fear of his retribution. He just has never bothered to pay attention to them, focusing more on other things.

And then, he had gone to Hogwarts. He had shoved it to the back of his mind, trying to fit into the role the wizarding world saw him as. He had almost forgotten, always ignoring all the thoughts that hinted otherwise. Now he had to wonder if Dumbledore had done something. He doubted that he would agree with his weapon having such dangerous thoughts. In fact, if it wasn't for what happened at the Ministry, he doubted he would have even looked back.

But there was a reason why he hadn't hesitated when Death offered him to be a Grim Reaper. Even if he still tried to fight against it, he had done it because he had wanted it so much. And he knew. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop once he tasted it.

But he had denied for too long his true nature. He had built mask upon mask, never once indulging to his desires. He had efficiently fooled everyone, even himself. Not anymore. It was time to let all masks fall, and show his true face at last.

Harry smiled, the thrill from the killing still running through him. It was time to start the game.


	4. Chapter 4

Sirius Black sat back in his chair, running a hand through his face in frustration. Apparently, when his father and brother died he was the only one left in the family, leaving the Lordship to him even if he was in prison. And last year, being in the run and confined in his own house he hadn't been able to do anything about it. Not to talk about the whole Veil ordeal, which he was still unsure about.

And now he had suddenly a Lordship he never wanted and a mess to sort out. But after weeks of relentlessly working, he finally could trust that all his finances and investments were in good place, and he wouldn't go bankrupt for mismanaging as his mother had done the last past few years. He was actually surprised that he still had money in his vaults.

Thankfully, the goblins had proven to be a valuable asset, and after multiple meetings he could trust his finances to them. He would still keep track of it, but he could work more freely this way. Which gave him more time to focus on Harry.

Harry. He knew his godson hadn't been happy to be shipped off to those Dursleys, and neither had been Sirius. But he had been somewhat surprised at the lack of fighting when Harry had learned the news. He hadn't been there, but Phineas portrait had reported that he had just accepted the change nonchalantly, besides that brief demand of being back with Sirius after a month no matter what.

Sirius knew that it was a mask for Dumbledore. He had talked later with his godson and the anger was rolling off him in waves. He had expressed his regret to Sirius, saying he had really wanted to live with him. Something had felt off, though, but back then Sirius was still busy with the aftermath of the trial and all the paperwork and hadn't give it much thought.

Just as he hadn't had time to figure out what had happened in the Death chamber. From what Remus told him, he had gone through the arch and Harry followed after him. No one exactly knew what happened or how did Harry take both of them back. And his godson had refused to say anything, even to Sirius.

Now, he went trough the few letters that Harry had sent him and felt worry grow in him. They were very short letters, assuring Sirius that he was fine and the Dursleys had left him alone. But the tone in them was... wrong. It wasn't anything obvious, just the way they were written combined with the evasive behavior of Harry and a feeling.

Sirius considered for a moment the possibility of an impostor, but he knew that wasn't the case. No, it was something else. Harry was hiding something and it showed in his brief letters and in the way he avoided talking about the Ministry.

Maybe it was time for Padfoot to come out.

:::

He had been a fool for not surrendering earlier. After he had made that kill, Death had acquiesced to his desire of learning Death Magic. He loved it. The power to cut through someone's life and manipulate their life cords elated him to the point that Death had to remind him that he was not to abuse of the power unless he wanted to suffer the consequences. Very painful consequences.

Harry had pouted a little but relented, remembering all to well the pain of his Changing and not wanting to go trough anything like that.

His fellow Grim Reapers were not so happy though, as he was now improving greatly and at such a fast pace that was scary. Now that he had let himself be free he found that the training was not so difficult and he was coming to enjoy the way the other Reapers looked at him warily.

He still sucked at anything that meant stealth, his impatience at getting the job done meaning that he itched to struck at the poor soul that was his prey. Oh he could manage to not be seen well enough, but it wasn't his forte.

He let out a frustrated breath when the Grim Reaper caught him out again. His magic was pulsing around him in agitation and with a sneer his teacher told him to leave. Harry was more than willing to comply, sending a curse to the being when he heard him mutter "Useless."

He shifted out of the Shadow world and found himself back in his room. Checking he wasn't late he changed into his wizarding robes and putting on his invisibility cloak he walked out of his house, making sure his guard didn´t see the back door opening. Concealing his snort at passing trough unnoticed he headed to the end of street where he called the Knight Bus.

Stan Shunpike was getting ready to talk, when Harry interrupted him with a dark look.

"Knockturn Alley." that silenced him for good as he stepped aside letting him enter. For the past few weeks, he had been visiting the Alley regularly, in his search of knowledge beyond what was taught at Hogwarts. Even with the intensive training from Death and its Grimm Reapers, he knew he still could learn a lot.

Unlike Diagon Alley, Knockturn provided a greater variety and also sold books and objects of more dubious content, just bordering on the legal side. And of course, it was the perfect place to find people who had access to all the illegal stuff, if you knew who to look for.

One of the best places to go was a pub on the far end of the Alley, close to where the second entrance of the Alley was found. The name was Poison, and creatures and wizards alike went there to either drink or make deals of the underworld or both. It was also a great place to find about Tom's whereabouts as some of his Death Eaters liked to come by and let slip a lot of information.

He was out of the bus as soon as it stopped, sick of being thrown everywhere. A few quick strides led him to the wall in the backstreet that led to the entrance. He pressed his palm and sent a pulse of Dark Magic into the wall. It dissolved and let him pass.

Poison was full as always, but people made a way as soon as they saw him. He had made himself known and respected for his efficiency at defeating anyone who seemed to think that he was weak, and most left him alone after one lousy wizard challenged him because he didn't think a stranger should be in their territory. Of course, he had proven him and all the people looking wrong as he effortlessly disarmed him and then proceed to curse him until he was unrecognizable. No one else had dared to cross his way since.

"Hey Noir! Come here!"

Harry saw the half vampire bartender waving him over and let out a resigned sigh as he went there. Jean had taken a liking to him and had started calling him Noir so he just went along with the name. Besides, the young vampire usually was willing to give out information, as long as he gave him something in exchange.

"Hello Jean," he greeted him stoically.

"Noir, my friend. What brings you here today?"

"The usual."

Jean pouted at his curt answer, battering his long eyelashes at him. Harry raised a brow at him, ignoring the leer the vampire gave him. Jean huffed and batted his long silver hair out of his face, all the while preparing his drink. Harry looked warily at the vampire as he leaned in drink in hand, getting close enough to whisper in his ear.

"You may be interested to hear that some Death Eaters came in here yesterday."

There was a moment of pause and then the vampire licked his check, yelping in pain as a second later a powerful Sting Hex hit him. Harry held his mask with an unimpressed look, sipping at his drink as if nothing had happened. Jean was called away by another regular but soon came back, along with a note in his hand. Harry took it and examined it, erecting a privacy ward silently at the same time. Jean didn't comment on it.

"Anything else?"

"I found the book you were asking about, but its all squiggles so I'm not sure if it will e of any use to you. Oh, and this is all I found about that Smith woman."

He accepted the packet and opened the book to make sure it was the correct one, delighted to see there was still a copy available. The information of Smith looked promising enough, but he would look at it later. Once he made sure everything was correct, he put it away in his cloak, standing up and going to one corner, finally looking at the pleading face of Jean and raising his brow in question, dropping his head in a subtle nod. The vampire jumped in excitement at the confirmation and hurried out the bar, almost tripping as he approached him eagerly.

Harry was already seated drinking slowly, his wrist to the side and he didn't pay attention the slight pain as teeth sunk into his wrist and the vampire sucked happily. The pain receded quickly and only a weird sensation spreaded throughout his body, but he knew how to ignore it by now. No one was looking their way, already used to their dynamics and Harry used that in his favour as he observed them.

Nothing much seemed to be going on today, some brawl between a vampire and a werewolf and Dark Wizards discussing the last bill passed by the Wizengamot. Harry fingered the amulet under his cloak, feeling the slivers of soul reach to him as always. He had had no luck yet with the other horcruxs. He had a few theories but until he examined the information Jean gave him he couldn't be sure. He was fairly sure one was at Hogwarts though.

A moan brought his attention back to the vampire sipping his blood, who was obviously enjoying it a lot. Harry was not surprised to see Jean lost to pleasure, and that he was losing some control over his lure, transferring some lust over to him. Knowing that it was not appropriate, he carefully took his teeth out even as Jean whined at having his fun stopped. He closed his wound and waited until Jean calmed down and gave him a goofy smile, even if his eyes were dilated by lust. Jean leaned in and gave him a deep kiss whilst Harry took pity on him and stroked him over his pants. It wasn't long before the vampire tensed against him and came, and Harry cleaned them both wandless and wordlessly, letting Jean rest against him.

Thankfully no one was looking, if they were they would suffer from a very nasty curse. That probably was the reason why they were ignored, it was a well known fact that he paid Jean back by letting him drink his blood, and everybody knew what a vampire bite did when it was not intended to kill. They also knew Noir appreciated his privacy, so nobody was stupid enough to bother them when they were engaged with one another.

"Jean."

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry I lost control, Noir."

"I don't mind. You should get back."

Jean sat up and looked over to the bar where the other bartender was having trouble by himself. Still, no one went near them. Jean pouted a little, and he gave him a warning look.

"Alright, alright. It was nice. Will you ever accept my offer and come to my house?"

"Just go, Jean."

"Is that a yes?"

"Go."

"I'll take it as a yes!"

Harry glared at him and took out his wand, and Jean was quick to get back to the bar. Still, he was hit byanother Stinging Hex, laughing so loudly that it attracted people's attention and they watched the mad vampire cackling with red eyes and a red mark on his check where Harry's hex had hit. They looked over where he was seated but only his glowing green eyes could be seen in the shadows, and most were quick to look away, deciding it was best not to know.

A few minutes passed before he perked up with interest when he saw Draco Malfoy come in with Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini. Malfoy and Nott went to the bar where Jean had finally calmed down even if he was still grinning like mad but Zabini stayed behind to survey the room. His brown eyes found his corner, and narrowed in suspicion. Harry smirked, knowing that from that distance Zabini wouldn't be able to recognize him under his cloaked form. Zabini seemed to be entranced by his stare, a small furrow appearing in his forehead as if in confusion. Malfoy called him and Harry took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed.

:::

Draco had insisted on going to Poison tonight and Blaise had resigned himself to the fact the he wouldn't be able to argue with the blonde. Theo wasn't too annoyed as he liked the pub well enough, but Blaise would have preferred to stay home reading. He had only agreed due to the anxiety of the blonde, and his desire to get out of his mansion. Blaise couldn't argue with that, he would also try to avoid his mansion as much as possible if he was in Draco's position.

The dimly lit pub was as full as usual, and he let Theo and Draco walk ahead as he looked around the pub. A vampire was picking himself up as a werewolf gloated about his victory, heated voices reached him as a group of wizards argued about the new bill, and most people were just mingling and drinking. In one corner a person sat alone cloaked in shadows and he was looking at them.

Blaise tensed imperceptibly and narrowed his eyes when he saw the glowing emeralds fixed on him. He couldn't see much besides his eyes, just some pale skin and lips that twisted in a mocking smirk. He was about to bristle but something in the others eyes stopped him. There was something familiar about them, but he couldn't recall from where, and even from this distance he could see the hidden power behind them.

"Blaise!"

Reluctantly he broke eye contact and went over Draco. When he looked over again the person was gone.

:::

Sirius didn't know what to think. Harry had evaded easily the guard, showing it wasn't the first time he did it. But when Sirius tried to follow him Harry had disappear into the Knight Bus. Following his instincts he had gone to Diagon Alley, knowing Harry didn't know that many places in the magical world, but after wandering around the Alley he found no sign of Harry.

That's it, until he saw a cloaked figure emerging from Knockturn Alley. A figure whose scent was unmistakably his godsons.

Just what the hell was going on with Harry?

:::

The boy was in his room reading that piece of paper the vampire had provided him. He was playing with the amulet holding the shards of Riddle's soul and Death questioned the wisdom of leaving it with the boy when it was obvious that he had an unusual fascination with it.

Death stood up behind him and the boy stopped with his playing as he straightened up, looking up at him. So bold.

"Harry Potter".

"Milord"

"It's time for you to start missions" the boy grinned delighted at the news, but Death raised a hand to stop his questions. "As a piece of information, even if you are a Grim Reaper now, you can still be harmed. You are not alive in a mortal sense, so you will not die but you are still in your human shell and as such it can be damaged and it can die. Do you understand?"

"Yes milord".

And Death handed him the assignment.

:::

Hermione was reading quietly in her room, ignoring the muffled shouts from her parents downstairs for yet another idiotic thing. Her mother's temper was worse than usual and her father was irritated continuously. Their relationship had been tense since she had arrived from Hogwarts and Hermione suspected that something had happened while she was away. The sudden increase in weight of her mother might be the reason. She wondered when would they bother to tell her what had happened.

And if that wasn't enough, she was still worried about Harry. He had barely written her at all, just to confirm he was safe and completely ignored most of her letters. Even Ron had noticed it and had asked her about it. Harry still hadn't told them what happened in the Veil and he was keeping secrets to everyone, Ron and Hermione included. She was starting to doubt if he would ever tell them.

The letter from Sirius laid in her desk, filling her with worry. She had no idea why Harry would go to Knockturn Alley, as far as she knew he stayed in his home all summer. She feared what would happen if Harry was desperate enough to start looking for more radical ways to end Voldemort. If only he would talk with them, she would gladly help and so would Ron.

She sighed as she heard a door slamming and the angry footsteps of her father walking up the stairs, going into their room and then stomping downstairs slamming once again the door as he stepped outside. Soon the sound of an engine was heard and then the house fell silent once again. Hermione marked the page she was at and silently went downstairs, locating her mother by the muffled sobs behind the kitchen door.

Without saying any word she embraced her mother and let her cry in her shoulder, just holding her until she calmed down a little and let her go.

"I'm sorry, honey." Her mother apologized. Hermione waved it away and got a glass of milk.

"Here. Just drink it."

"Thanks."

They stayed silent as Hermione cleaned the table, picking up some papers and stacking them in one side table and putting all the dirty dishes in the sink, while her mother drank the milk slowly, her puffy eyes following her.

"I just don't understand."

Hermione turned around confused, "What?"

"The situation. Why can't we be happy? Why must he make everything so difficult?"

"Well..."

"It's not like I asked for anything of this! Surely he understands that?"

"I don't know Mom."

"Is it really that horrible to have another child?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I'm up to date with my other account. No more chapters until a few weeks I'm afraid. I hope you enjoy it!

Connor was living a spectacular life. He had graduated with honors from Cambridge university, had an amazing girlfriend who loved him, and friends who had stood by him at every time. He had even a new job waiting for him next week. His family was so proud of him they had given him a new car as a gift, and he had decided to go celebrate with his friends.

Hanna, her girlfriend, called him while he was driving, and he answered as he waited for the family to cross the road. Hanna was wondering when he was going to get there, saying everybody was already there. Connor assured her he was near, as he increased the speed of his new car. Someone shouted on the phone, startling him and Hanna laughed telling him Jake had spilled his beer on himself.

He was so engrossed in the conversation he never noticed the truck until it was too late.

:::

To the side of the road, half hidden by the trees, stood a cloaked figure watching the scene with indifference. Normally that would be a strange sight, specially since the dark figure seemed so out of place standing completely still. However, this person was not worried since he was in the Shadow world and no mortal could see him.

Once everything had calmed down and the only thing you could hear was fire, Harry came closer ignoring the glass in the floor and the broken truck. Instead, he centered his attention in the burning car, from where an arm stuck out of the door. The flames parted as he bent down to see the half burnt body of Connor Lightwood, who was losing blood at an alarming speed. The young man seemed to sense him as he turned his head painfully to the side.

"Help… me."

"I'm not here to help."

"Who… you?"

"Just a soul's collector. Yours is almost gone."

"No…"

"Yes, little mortal, you are going to die"

Harry watched gleefully the horror on the man's face as he struggled to get up, run away, clinging to life even as it drained away. The sheer desperation of the man excited Harry, even if he didn't show it outwardly. Soon the last breath of the young passed and there was a moment of silence as Harry waited.

Soon, he opened his eyes and stood up, separating himself from his body and looking confused at Harry. The man seemed then to remember what happened and he let out a scream of rage and sorrow as he watched his body. Deciding that it was time to go, Harry let out his scythe and came closer to the spirit, who avoided him so quickly that it surprised Harry.

"No! Please let me live. I have so much to do. I don't want to die! Please!"

"You're already dead. What is dead cannot come back to life."

Harry swung again and this time the spirit was caught and absorbed to the blade, even as it screamed and begged to be let free. Once he was sure it wouldn't get out, he shrunk his scythe and put it away, sighing at the sight of the accident. If only it had been Vernon…

A burning sensation in his hand made him look at the glowing mark in his palm, a triangle with a circle and a line inside. Death never explained the meaning of its mark, and none of the others Reapers knew. Now it was glowing in a weird black light, with some avada green streaks, and its light moved to form name and a location. Sighing, he looked around and then disappeared.

:::

Draco was hiding again in the library. He had started to do this every time the Dark Lord visited, and thankfully it wasn't that often due to the fact that aurors still came to check on his father until he was free from his confinement. Which, would probably end by the start of his next year, as his father slowly gained his reputation back in the Ministry.

Still, the Dark Lord came way too often for Draco's liking and he couldn't always escape to Poison with his friends. Hence, he was hiding.

He was at complete loss as to what to do. He was sure he didn't want to follow the creature after seeing its insanity and how did it treat its followers. Following it would be his destruction and he was not keen on doing that. He was a Slytherin after all, and his self-preservation told him it was not the way to follow.

But that presented another problem. He wouldn't join the Death Eaters after what he had seen this summer, but joining the Light was out of the question. He knew from his godfather that he would not be welcomed there and would be treated unfairly just because of his name. And the Ministry was so corrupted it didn't do any good at all.

Sighing he closed the book he had been trying to read. Blaise was right, they were doomed no matter what unless someone came forward. But Draco was not strong, no matter how much he liked to gloat he knew he was too weak to step forward, at least not right now. Maybe in a few years, but by then it would probably be too late. If only someone who respected the dark would come out, then everything would turn out alright.

Until then, the only option was to wait.

:::

For Tom, it wasn't such a strange sight these days to see wizards in the Leaky Cauldron that were tense and were ready for any attack at any moment. The war had made everyone very jumpy and suspicious to anyone, therefore preferring his privacy rooms that he had started to offer once again. But youngsters didn't usually ask for those, so Tom was surprised when a young man that had to be still a Hogwarts student asked if one was available.

He gave him the key to one of the rooms and decided it was best not to ask.

:::

Neville let out a relieved breath when Tom gave him the key without any question, and wondered about all the secrecy Luna was demanding. He looked at the tiny room with only a table, some chairs and a window. He made sure no spying charms were in the room and closed the curtains so no one could see inside. His wand worked perfectly now that he had his own and his grandmother didn't even protest when he purchased it.

He transfigured the chairs into more comfortable ones, and then put up a basic privacy ward. Thankfully, as soon as he was done, Luna opened the door and came into the room smiling brightly. She ignored the chairs and jumped onto the table staring deeply at him with those wide eyes.

"So… What happened?"

"Oh, nothing yet but it has started at last."

"What? Luna, what's that supposed to mean!?"

Luna smiled but instead of her usual dreamy smiles this one had something that left Neville unnerved even if he couldn't pinpoint exactly why.

"Don't worry about it, soon it will be all clear. The only thing we have to do is to get ready. He will need us."

"He?"

"You need to accept your gift."

Neville tensed, looking around fearfully even if he knew logically that only Luna was there. He wanted to ask how did she know, but she always knew everything so he supposed he wasn't that surprised. Still, he was wary that anyone knew at all as it was supposed to be a Longbottom secret. Not even his relatives knew even if they suspected it, making it clear by their disdain of him.

"It is an advantage that will be needed, Neville."

"For what? Luna I need to know more! You can't ask me to do that without a reason!"

"Don't hide from it, it is a part of you. Please, Neville."

He was completely unnerved and confused by the situation. Luna was acting strange, more than usual, and still not answering anything. However, the serious look on Luna's eyes and her pleading made him pause and wonder if he should follow her command. No one had to know if he trained right? He wouldn't get into any trouble as long as he was careful, and only he would be able to get into that particular vault anyways. His relatives wouldn't say a thing even if they saw him going there, well maybe they would insult him but no one outside their family would know. And wasn't he a Gryffindor? It was time to use his bravery and accept what he had denied for so long.

"Alright. But you need to tell me more Luna."

"Soon. Oh, there is some Wracksputs in here!"

And just like that she was back to her usual self.

:::

Harry,

Something important has happened. I really would like to meet so I can tell you in person. There is also some other things I wanted to mention, but don't worry too much. Please tell when and where can we meet, Dumbledore doesn't need to know. Don't ignore this Harry, I really want to see you and talk to you.

With Love,

Hermione.

::::

It was really amusing how easy was to track down Voldemort's family. It was a well known fact that he was a Slytherin descendant, so one only had to look carefully in the Records Room in the Ministry to find that the Gaunts where the last descendants known of the Slytherin House. Sometimes he had to wonder how no one else had made the connection before.

Finding where the Gaunts lived was not that difficult, specially since they had been arrested and their home appeared in their records. Knowing that the Riddles had lived there also, just proved him that he was in the right track.

Getting to Little Hangleton was pretty easy, as long as he was in the Shadow he could get anywhere with just a name, be it a person's or a place's name. He watched the little village from afar, frowning at the Graveyard where Voldemort had gained a body. The only buildings that stood out were the church and the mansion that he knew was once property of the Riddles.

Realizing he had been standing there for a few minutes, he turned to the path set on finding the Gaunt's shack. Guessing that Voldemort would have warded the place heavily, he activated his Sight, looking for any traces of magic. Sure enough, a large amount of lights and colors caught his attention minutes later, so he heeded in that direction.

The shack that was once the Gaunt's remained standing only because of magic he could tell. If it wasn't for the sheer amount of wards it had, there wouldn't be anything left by now but a few ruins. The power behind the wards was impressive though, and when he Saw them he was amazed by the pattern they formed, layer of layers all put in an intricate web that was really unusual.

Deciding it would be a waste to destroy them as he could come later to study them, he chose to Shift instead. He could still see the wards in the Shadow but they had no hold in there so none of them activated as he passed through until he was in the inside. Checking nothing harmful was in there he Shifted back and the world became normal again.

Once inside, he could feel the Soul Magic coming from the floor, calling to his Reapers side as a moth to a flame. He disabled the few curses around the area and lifted the piece of wood to see a simple looking box that he grabbed carefully.

Setting it on the floor, he opened the lid.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time, but here is the new chapter!

Harry let out a frustrated sigh and glared down at the papers laying in the desk as if they were the source of all his problems. He was currently at a stalemate and he did not appreciate it one bit, not at all. Rubbing at his temples, he read the information on Smith to check that he hadn't missed anything and sighed when he reached the same conclusion as the last few times. 

Hufflepuff’s Cup and Slytherin’s Locket were horcruxes and he had no fucking idea where they were at. 

After the death of that Smith woman, they disappeared and no one knew where they were at, even when it was known that the last person who saw Smith and the heirlooms was Tom Riddle. It was obvious to him that he was the one responsible of the woman's death, and not that old house-elf. Harry found curious that Dumbledore knew about the objects, and wondered idly if he knew about the horcruxes. Well, it didn't matter now. 

What mattered was that he could not get those horcruxes without any further information, and he couldn't get that at this moment. So that left him with trying to come with a way to get to the last two horcruxes. He was sure that one of them was at Hogwarts, and it probably was some kind of Ravenclaw heirloom, since Riddle had used another two Founder's objects. But until he went back for his sixth year that was yet another horcrux out of his reach. 

Growling in frustration, he rubbed at his face again as he tried to get rid of his impending headache. And of course the last horcrux had to be the pet snake of Voldemort, Nagini, confirmed by the overheard conversations of Death Eaters that whined about the extreme protection wards that He had put on Nagini, as well as the connection Harry had past year to her head, Death had explained to him it was the result of them being horcruxes that had allowed that connection. 

But even if he could go and kill the snake that would tip off Voldemort that someone was after his horcruxes, and possibly moving them to a more secure location. Harry couldn't allow that to happen, so he had to leave the snake to last. And in that time he really ought to think of a way to kill her that didn't include breaking into Voldemort's headquarters, where a lot of things could go wrong and in the case he couldn't kill her then it would show he knew about the horcruxes and it would make it all the more difficult to get the snake. Besides, even if he was fairly sure Nagini was a horcrux, there was the slight possibility that she wasn't, and then all that work would be for naught. He needed a way to get close to her that wouldn't raise any alarms about his intentions, and also would allow him to be sure whether the snake was an horcrux or not. Really, if he was a Death Eater then it would all be so easy, and Voldemort wouldn't question his presence in the headquarters or his closeness to Nagini. Wait… 

Slowly a grin appeared in his face. 

::: 

Hermione waited anxiously in the park Harry had told her to meet, after a long week of no response. It had been a stressful week, especially after learning what her mother had revealed to her. From what Sirius told her, Harry had made no mention about his trip to Knockturn, and no one knew about it. He had wanted to confront Harry, but Hermione had firmly told him that he should stay away and let her deal with it. The fact was that even if he was his godfather, he didn't know Harry as well as she did and she had reminded him that he was still not completely recovered from Azkaban. It was a high probability that he would say something wrong and Harry would run or do something unexpected. 

And so it was that Hermione had come instead of Sirius, even if he had informed her that he would be not far away in case he was needed. 

Finally she saw his friend and had to hold back a surprised gasp. In the short weeks since school ended, he had changed greatly. His hair was longer brushing his shoulder and less messy, his glasses were gone and he stood tall and proud. He looked powerful. 

“Hello, Hermione.” Merlin, even his voice was different, deeper. 

“Hi.” 

He smiled a little and Hermione relaxed a little as she saw the genuine happiness at seeing her. Maybe Harry was still the same after all, and his changes were just the result of growing up and not something more nefarious. Still, she was worried about her friend and would found out what was going on. 

“How are you Harry? 

“Pretty good, I've been learning a lot. The Dursleys are leaving me alone so I can do whatever I want.” 

“Really? And what are you learning?” 

Harry looked at the side and then smiled at her, “Oh, this and that. Reviewing and preparing for the war, you know. Reading mostly.” 

She frowned and took his arm to stop him from walking, noticing how tense he was. Harry looked at her blankly, but she knew him well enough to see the hidden annoyance in his eyes. 

“Something is wrong.” 

“Really,” he drawled. “I don't know what you are talking about.” 

“Yes you do,” she stated looking at him at the eyes. Yes, he was annoyed, there was no doubt. “Harry we are worried about you.” 

“You have no reason to,” he said so firmly she could almost believe him. “You can tell the Order I'm completely fine.” 

“The Order has nothing to do with this, they don't know you, they care only about their Savior. It's Sirius and me, Ron and the Weasleys. We love you Harry, but you've been acting strangely lately, ant it's worrying us.” 

“It's called growing up, Hermione. I would have thought you would be happy but here you are, suspicious of me. What are you accusing me of, Hermione?” he asked coldly. 

“I'm not accusing you of anything! I am just worried, you've been secretive and closed off from everybody. We know something is up, we know you Harry and you’ve been acting differently.” 

Harry crossed his arms and glared at her. “I told you, I grew up. I don’t need to tell you everything, so if that is what you wanted to tell me I think you should go. I don’t have time to hear this crap.” And with that he turned around and started walking away. 

Hermione ran up to him, getting in his way. “Sirius saw you in Knocturn Alley the other day!” She exclaimed. Harry looked startled and a little apprehensive now. She stopped him when he opened his mouth to talk. “Don't try to deny it Harry, Padfoot saw you and there is no way you can fool his senses.” 

Harry had an indifferent expression as he regarded her, and then he looked to the side where Padfoot had been hiding. Padfoot stood up as he realized he had been caught and trotted over to them. Harry glared at both of them. 

Sirius transformed back and looked worriedly at Harry. “Pup, we just want to know what's going on.” 

“Then why didn't you talk to me instead of setting up a trap with Hermione.” 

“This isn't a trap, Harry,” protested Hermione. 

Harry snorted, “Yeah, sure. Well, I don't need to tell you anything and you can't stop me from going anywhere.” 

“Harry, we only want to understand and help you.” 

“You can help by leaving me alone!” 

“But Harry! Knocturn is dangerous, only dark wizards go there!” 

“I know.” Sirius and Hermione looked at him gobsmacked and he sneered. “I know what I am doing, so leave me alone and stop worrying.” 

“Harry…” 

He sighed and ran a hand down his face, “Please guys, I'm fine I promise. Just forget about it.” 

“Pup, we are here to help you. You don't need to go there to look for answers. Please, Harry.” 

“Stop it, Sirius.” He growled. “I'm fine, I don't want to hear anymore, so just leave it.” 

Hermione pursed her lips and noticed they were drawing attention to themselves. Sirius nodded as she pointed it out and said, “We'll talk at another moment. We are here for anything pup, trust us.” 

Harry eyed them warily and then sighed, “Alright. Now go, unless you have anything else to tell me.” 

“Actually, I do need to tell you something.” Hermione bit her lip, unsure. Sirius moved away, noticing it was something she wanted to tell him alone. “The other day, my mother…” 

“What?” Harry said when she didn't continue. “Is she okay?” he asked, worried. 

“Yes, yes, she is fine. It's just… I'm going to be a sister, Harry.” 

“What?” 

Hermione sighed, “My mother is pregnant. She's having a baby.” 

“Really? Is everything okay? You don't seem very happy. I thought you wanted a brother? Or sister,” he added as an afterthought. 

“Yes, I want that, but Harry, my mom…She had trouble getting pregnant, lost a few babies. And then, when she was pregnant of me… It was really difficult for her. From what I've heard, she almost died. My dad and she are fighting a lot, dad wants her to abort but she won't give up the baby. Harry, I, I don't know what to do. I'm really scared.” 

And with that, she broke down in tears. Harry awkwardly took her in his arms, at a loss as to what to say or do. And most of all, feeling horrible for making her worry even more by hiding things from her. What should he do? 

::: 

Draco cursed as the snitch slipped once again from his fingers and shooting down out of his reach as he regained control of his broom and followed it, even if he knew he had already lost it. Watching the golden glint zoom away, he slowed down and turned around not surprised to see Blaise had caught up to him, with a frown in his face. He was a good flyer but refused to play on the team no matter how many times Draco begged him to, not that he would admit to doing anything like that. Blaise glanced at him, obviously wanting to ask something, however Draco shook his head and flew down back to land, unwilling to discuss his problems to his friend. 

Blaise sighed and followed him, it didn’t really matter as he already knew the answer. He looked darkly at the Manor, where the source of his friend's troublesome thoughts was probably cursing some Death Eaters just for his sick pleasure. And Draco had to live alongside with that creature, suffering each day as his health deteriorated by the constant fear and curses that filled the halls of his house. Blaise landed neatly on the soft grass where Draco was waiting for him broom hovering unaided besides him and wand in hand from where he had shot the spell to make the practice snitch come back. It wasn’t long before they saw the golden snitch flying towards them and the blonde seeker raised his arm to catch it as soon as it was within reach, snatching it out of the air easily. Still, he didn’t make any move towards the Manor, and Blaise had a pretty good idea as to the reason why. 

"Draco, why don’t we go to Poison?" He suggested. 

He didn’t answer for a few seconds, and Blaise was about to ask again when Draco gave a short nod and walked towards the small building by the Quidditch pit where he had all his supplies. Once they left everything in its proper place and Draco had sent a message to his mother telling her they were going out, they apparated out of there. 

The familiar sight of the Alley greeted Blaise, and after a quick look around he saw Draco waiting by the doorway to Poison. They went inside with no problems, being recognized as regulars and Draco went directly to the bar calling over one of the bartenders. The wizard that usually served them was busy at one of the tables, so it was pale man who came over to attend them smiling brightly, ignoring the sneer that Draco gave him. Blaise could see easily the sharp fangs he was displaying, which was probably the reason why Draco seemed to dislike the man so much on sight, he held no love for vampires or any other kind of creatures. Of course, Draco thought himself superior to most people so maybe that wasn't the only reason for his attitude. 

“What can I give you, sirs?” 

“Give me a Firewhiskey,” Draco drawled, contempt dripping from each word. Blaise stopped himself from rolling his eyes and just indicated he wanted the same when the vampire looked at him. “They shouldn't let filthy things like that around us,” the blonde said with a grimace as soon as the vampire turned away, and Blaise could see the slight pause in his movements before continuing down the bar to get their drinks. He frowned slightly at Draco and he seemed guilty for a second before huffing and looking the other way, which only made his frown more pronounced. It wasn’t the first time that Draco had acted like that, being more abrasive and rude than normal, sometimes bordering in reckless actions and Blaise had to stop him a few times from starting some fights. He knew that his friend was usually a prat, but he had never been so openly hostile before. Besides, Blaise suspected that most of his derogatory comments where more out of habit that any actual dislike or hate, even if the blonde still thought himself superior than almost everyone. 

The Italian boy opened his mouth to make a comment, but the vampire came back with their drinks and a fake smile. “Thank you, sir,” said Blaise, and the vampire’s smile became more genuine. Blaise shot a look to Draco, who was brooding and scowled at him but muttered a thanks taking his drink. Blaise took it as a win, and let him mope for a while, standing up and going after the vampire, who looked up from the drink he was making when he heard him sitting down. “Is there anything I can do for you?” asked the vampire. 

“No, I just wanted to apologize for my friend,” Blaise smiled, looking over to Draco who grimaced at him and looked away. “He is having a few bad days, and let his temper get to him. Don’t take it personally.” 

“No problem, beautiful,” the vampire leered at him, and Blaise found it difficult to stop his blush and remain impassive, and by the wicked grin the pale man shot him, he wasn’t very successful, “but I might have some ideas on how you can repay me.” 

Blaise wasn’t fooled, the vampire was practically purring by that point and looking hungrily at him, and while he was very handsome he wasn’t really in the mood nor did he want to leave his friend alone. He was about to tell him that, when a shadow fell over him and a low voice called “Jean,” startling the vampire in front of him. Turning around, he saw a cloaked and dark man and after a few seconds recognized him as the same man with chilling green eyes he had seen the other day. He immediately felt his presence was not wanted, and stood up getting away, thankful he had been spared from the lustful vampire. 

Sitting down besides Draco, he watched as the pair went to stand by the same table the green eyed man had sat the other day. It was difficult to see what they were doing, but Blaise saw something being exchanged and the unknown man leaning towards the vampire, pressing him against the table. He looked away flushed when he saw the dreamy and lustful look on the vampire while the man stepped even closer, drawing his hips forwards. The brunette sipped on his drink trying to ignore the amused look Draco was giving him and the tightness in his pants. A crack made him look back, but by then both men had disappeared. 

::: 

“Jean.” 

The vampire jumped slightly startled and looked up, grinning when he saw the black figure behind the exotic looking boy he was talking to. The boy also looked behind himself, and promptly made himself scarce. Jean wondered amused whether it was for his invitation or because Noir had intimidated him. Frosty green eyes followed his movements, before turning back to him and nodding towards an out of the way table. Jean followed him, absolutely fascinated by this wizard that tasted so deliciously dark, his magic enticing him closer as well as the delicious smell of his wonderful blood. Besides, Noir had this charisma, even if he appeared mostly indifferent, that combined by his gorgeous looks – he really wanted to ravish the man, if only just once – made anyone want to do whatever he wanted. Jean was aware that the wizard was extremely dangerous, but the vampire had always craved danger and was willing to risk his life. 

“Noir, my dear!” And of course, the obvious annoyance of the wizard at his antics amused him greatly. “What can I do for you on this fine day?” 

Noir looked around and held out a piece of parchment, ignoring the lewd looks the vampire was giving him. Nobody was paying them any attention besides the boy Jean was talking to earlier, and he wouldn’t be able to see much from where he was seated. The vampire wasted no time in taking the short message, noticing absently the feeling of some protective spells, probably to prevent anyone from reading it besides him. Raising shocked eyes to him, Jean gulped as Noir leaned in and trapped him against the table. 

“If you do this,” he drawled, pushing their bodies together. Jean suppressed a shiver, but the smirk in Noir lips showed he was aware of the effect he had on him, “I will give you what you have been asking.” And then Noir pressed their groins together, leaving Jean hard pressed to hold back the whimper that wanted to escape his lips. Noir moved even closer, his mouth close to his ear and his neck just so close, pumping delicious blood as Noir whispered in his ear, “Will you do it for me, Jean?” 

“Why?” He did not whimper, not at all. And the dark smile Noir gave him didn't draw a moan from him, it didn't. 

“It's necessary for my plans.” He couldn't deny the gasp that left him as Noir grabbed his erection quite firmly, and any objection he could have had flew from his mind. He knew better than to bite him without asking first, so he pushed against the hand holding him, silently asking for permission. Noir made no movement, and Jean opened his eyes to see him staring at him. “Will you do it?” 

“Yes.” He breathed and then Noir was apparating them away from Poison and the next thing he knew he was in a bed with the wizard looking at him with an expression he had never seen before, and after a second he realized startled it was lust. Grinning at the confirmation that Noir was honestly attracted to him, Jean felt enough confidence to lean up and claim a kiss from the wizard. Noir groaned so low he almost didn't catch it, and then he felt another erection pressing down his own, his lips moving urgently against his own. 

Moving his hands around the wizard, he grabbed his ass and pull him even closer, hissing in pleasure at the friction and hearing a responding noise from the wizard. Noir raised his hands to his head and grabbed strands of silver hair, tilting his head as he deepened the kiss. Jean moaned as his tongue touched the others, pushing against it while Noir growled and pushed back. The vampire moved one of his hands from the others ass to his chest, trying to open his robe while rubbing against the hardness. Jean felt him get still for a second and then pull away, drawing a disappointed whine from him which stopped when he saw the other taking off his robe and tossing it away. Before he could reach out to touch that gorgeous chest, Noir grabbed his chin and made him look at his serious expression. 

“I trust you, Jean. Do you understand? I’m trusting in you when I’m at my most vulnerable, I’m trusting you with something no one else is going to have, I’m trusting you to be my first because I know you will make it good. So don’t make me regret putting my trust in you.” He finished, breathing heavily and holding his face so hard he was sure it would leave marks, and giving him a really deep and threatening glare, a really powerful and murderous aura surrounding him. Then Jean registered the words said and widened his eyes at the implications of his words, touched by the honor given. Sitting up and bringing the young man close, gave him a deep kiss and then promised, “You won't regret it.” 

Noir nodded and then kissed him, letting Jean take control of the situation. Jean made sure to show his appreciation by lavishing him with kisses and pleasure, taking his time and slowly took off his clothes, not giving the wizard the opportunity to regret anything as he laid him down. He felt the hands scratching on his back as he started pumping his erection, and he watched smugly as Noir threw his head back in pleasure as he did a clever twist with his hand. But then he was the one to hold back a groan as the wizard took hold of both of their cocks, increasing the friction and pleasure. 

He got free and started going down the wizards body, licking his nipples and down his stomach until he was face to his cock. Jean looked up to see Noir watching him heatedly and smiling wickedly he took him in his mouth in one go. The younger one arched his back as Jean bobbed his head, swirling his tongue across the head, and holding the wizard down when he bucked his hips. He relaxed his throat and slowly went lower, feeling the cock at the back of his throat. Noir got still for a moment before exploding down his throat, and the vampire backed up a little swallowing all of it. When the other finished he let him go, wiping off the few drops of semen that had landed on his face, and moving up to give him a light kiss. 

Seeing that the other was still out and relaxed, he waved his hand summoning some lube – it came from the bedside table, as he had hoped it would. It seemed that Noir had really thought of everything – and coated his fingers in it, prodding one of them against his entrance. Noir shuddered under him, throwing his head back, and Jean started licking along his neck. The wizard moaned and tilted his head to give him better access, trembling with need when he circled his entrance with his finger, teasing him. Jean finally bit down and started drinking, his moan echoing Noirs and he reminded himself he had a job to do. He pushed his finger in, finding no resistance and started moving it, searching for his prostate, growling in success as he heard Noir let out a needy whine and push down on his finger. Moving his mouth back so he didn't hurt the other he licked the sweet blood and pushed another finger in. 

Noir was gasping in pleasure and eagerly pushed down on his fingers, bringing him down to kiss him furiously. Jean let him and after scissoring him a little deemed him sufficiently prepared and took both his hands away. Noir whined at the loss of contact and looked at him murderous, obviously annoyed that he had stopped. Jean just smiled and pushed his legs open, Noir moving them without hesitation and watched avidly as the vampire got in place and made sure to coat enough lube on his cock. 

He sucked in a breath as he felt something way bigger pushing in, but Jean distracted him by taking hold of his neglected erection and kissing him deeply. When Jean saw him relaxing, he pushed in one move, groaning at the tight feeling around his cock. The wizard under him gasped at the sudden movement and grabbed his arms tightly, pulling away from the kiss. Jean murmured soothing words as he stroked him slowly, using all his will to stay still in that delicious tightness. 

“You okay?” He asked breathlessly. 

“Ugh” Noir gasped and opened bright green eyes. “Yeah, just, one moment.” Jean nodded, smiling slightly at the disheveled look of the usually proud looking wizard. Noir glared slightly at him, and then tried to relax a little. Jean felt him move a little and after a look for confirmation started moving. Noir clenched his teeth but held his gaze as he moved inside him, telling him silently to keep moving. 

“You sure?” Jean asked as he stilled his movements, even if the only thing he wanted was to pound into the body under him. 

Noir took a depth breath and nodded, “Yes. I trust you.” 

“I'm honored,” he said smiling and the started moving again. He altered slightly his angle each time, looking closely at Noir face until finally he gasped and closed his eyes in ecstasy. Grinning he pushed again at the same spot and got the same response, “Good?” 

“Yes, yes! Move!” He commanded him and Jean obliged. Picking up his pace he started to move faster, loving the way Noir moved under him and the sound he was making. Soon the wizard was screaming for more and Jean let go, pushing at a speed and force he hadn't before, growling in pleasure. The body under him trembled and moved against him, making him go deeper each time, and hands urged him to pound into him harder. Jean took Noir’s legs and pushing them up leaned in closer, pushing his cock deeper and trapping the young man under him. Noir groaned and pulled him down for a messy kiss as he thrust his cock in with quick and fast moves. Noir broke the kiss and gasped, one hand going down to take his erection and fisting it as he moved his hand furiously. Jean, feeling the walls around his cock twitch and get tighter, knew the wizard was close to coming, so he grabbed his ass and pushed in hard, at the same time that he bit down on the exposed neck of Noir. 

He screamed as his release exploded between them, and Jean pushed a few more times before he too was coming, the combined pleasure of the walls milking him and that sweet, sweet blood pushing him over the edge. He stopped sucking and licked the wound he had left, coating it with his saliva, as the body under him shuddered with pleasure. Jean leaned back a little, letting go of the legs but didn't pull out yet from Noir, who had gone still under him. 

The wizard was looking at him with wide dazed eyes, and he chuckled as he pushed a strand of black hair out of Noir’s face. Noir blinked and then scowled a little at him, but did not move, and in that moment Jean realized that the wizard before him was still very young even if he was a formidable adversary. 

“How are you?” Jean asked him, looking at him critically to make sure he hadn't hurt him. Noir blushed and composed himself, losing his dazed expression and adopting a calmer one, “Good. I'm fine.” 

“Mm. You absolutely enjoyed it!” 

Jean laughed at the glare he sent him, and let himself be pushed off him. Noir was stammering a denial, but both of them knew he had really liked it. Noir grumbled and waved his hand – Jean admired him silently for his easy use of wandless magic – cleaning both of them and sitting up on the bed. Jean watched as the young man collected his clothes and started dressing, wincing from time to time. The vampire sighed and also got up, looking for his robe and then searching inside them until he found what he was looking for. 

“Hey, Noir.” The other looked at him, mask back in place and raised a brow at the potion. “You'll be sore for a while. That should help.” Noir was still looking at him oddly, and Jean was pretty sure as to the reason why. “It’s always good to have some potions at hand, don’t you think?” And then he smirked, leaving no doubts as to what he was talking about. 

The wizard scowled but took the potion and after looking at it closely nodded and drank it. “Thank you,” he hesitated, and then continued, “It was really good. If you,” he took a depth breath, “if you want to meet some other time, I wouldn't be… against it.” 

Jean held back his smile and just nodded, accepting the offer as it was, while snickering mentally at the awkwardness of the other. Noir sighed and then finished putting on his robe. He pierced him with a look, and suddenly Jean remembered the deal he had made, as well as the fact that he could not forget this young man could easily kill him even if a few moments before he had seem so vulnerable. Frowning, he nodded and commented, “I’ll start asking around for what you want. As soon as I know anything I will tell you.” He held back the strong desire to ask why he would ask for that, as it was definitely something he had not expected. 

Noir grinned widely and Jean suppressed the shiver that went down his back. “Perfect.” 

::: 

After being sure Jean would do what he had asked, Harry let him out of his apartment making sure to let out another powerful wave of his magic just to remind the vampire of his place, rejoicing on the shiver he got in response before the vampire disappeared. He let out a sigh and shifted, grimacing at the low burn on his backside. He had told Jean the truth, it had been an amazing experience and he was glad he had asked the experienced vampire to be his first, but he wasn’t sure he enjoyed the vulnerable feelings it had brought. 

Not like he wouldn’t have been able to retaliate if the vampire had gotten out of control, but exposing himself like that left him slightly uncomfortable, and he wondered if he would ever allow himself to have more than a causal relationship with someone, or if he would ever trust anybody to the point he could fully relax. Because no matter what had transpired between Jean and him, he only trusted Jean to not attack him and at most be a friendly acquaintance, but nothing more. 

Harry sighed once more and set to clean his apartment, glad he had rented one for the summer, and once he was sure everything was in its proper place he decided to go back to Privet Drive to check on the amulet. He did not like leaving it unattended, but he certainly would have not brought it with him when the possibility of sex was involved, and he did not want to think on the vampire’s reaction to it. No willing to waste any more time, he left immediately. Hopefully everything would be okay. 

::: 

He shouldn't be here. He knew that, but still found himself unable to walk away even when he made no effort to actually go in. How a small building could look so intimidating was beyond him at the moment. 

To anyone else, the little building didn't really look that interesting, but he knew better. His family would be beyond displeased if they found out he had been here, and he didn't fool himself, they would know. They'd feel the change almost immediately, in fact he was surprised that no one was here already. The wards should have warned them of his presence in the forbidden place. 

Well, it wasn't forbidden for him but still his Family had left very clear what they thought of the place and of him. Ever since he manifested It, they made sure to show their displeasure and that they didn't want anything to be with all of That. He had feared for his life the day they found out that he had Displayed his ability at Hogwarts, even if he hadn't used the Magick itself. In fact, he was pretty sure that had been the reason that they hadn't done too much, as he never showed an interest to use It. 

Until now. Before, he never dared come near this place no matter how curious he was, because he knew the consequences it would mean for him. He had always wished that he could learn It, and use It, but knew if anyone outside his family found out, he would be dead within the day. His Family at least would try to hide it and to some point protect him, because if the Ministry knew, they would be under a lot of problems. Hiding it had been easy to do for them, he never really displayed and most people just assumed he was talented but nothing more. 

It would change, his Family would outright hate him for putting them in so much danger if he started the Training. Even if he kept It secret, It would change him for sure and people would be bound to notice. 

Still, Luna had told him it was needed. And he trusted her word, he knew perfectly well she also had a Gift, of different nature but still a Gift. Her words were the Truth, she knew what others didn't and if he had to learn for their future, learn he would. Maybe this actually meant that things would change and he wouldn't be prosecuted in the future for his abilities. Or maybe he was just hoping too much. 

“Neville Longbottom! Don't you dare!” 

Time was up. He glanced at his Gran, who was running and with her wand out, a look of fear on her face and then back at the stone wall. As soon as he touched, it would open for him and his life would change. He took a step forward. 

“No! Stop now! NEVILLE! Stupefy! 

The las thing he saw was look of absolute horror of her Gran as he sidestepped the spell, before he was engulfed by darkness. Then… Magick. 

::: 

Augusta had felt a chill down her spine while she had been enjoying her tea, but she had not realized its origin until after a few minutes, as it grew stronger until it felt spread throughout all her body. She had been confused at first, it had been similar to the alarm of wards being breached, but after checking they were still standing strong she had paled as she realized what kind of alarm it actually was. The tea cup had shattered to the floor as she apparated to the front of the manor and started running, cursing her ancestors for putting That Place under strong anti-apparition wards. 

The chill spiked until it became almost unbearable, and Augusta panicked. Why!? Why, after all this time!? He had never shown interest on Training, even if they had not been able to make him stop Displaying. Thankfully no one had looked closer, and he had seemed to understand It was something not to delve into. So, what had changed? 

Augusta saw the outline of the little building and the small figure in front of it, and vaguely felt the presence of other family members apparating to the manor. He was too close! And his eyes! They were watching it unblinkingly, as if the building was a siren calling to him. It probably was calling to him! She took out her wand and shouted: 

“Neville Longbottom! Don't you dare!” 

He glanced over her with a strange look on his eyes. His brown eyes, the color of earth, with almost no trace of iris left. Augusta felt It, It was emanating from him with such a powerful wave so unlike him that it almost made her stumble. When had that happened!? He had never Displayed so strongly before! The whole forest around them seemed to vibrate in anticipation and Augusta knew she had to stop it now before it was too late. If it wasn’t already. 

“No! Stop now!” he looked away towards the building, taking a small step. Augusta raised her wand, “NEVILLE!” the ground under her trembled as he took another step, almost touching the stone wall. It was now or never! “Stupefy!” Without even looking he sidestepped it and then he wasn’t there, the spell hitting harmlessly the wall. 

She sank to her knees, tears running down her cheeks as she saw the bright pulsing of the building and the rustling of the forest as plants suddenly grew to cover the building until it was out of sight. Only those who knew where it was could perceive with some difficulty where it was. It was over. Augusta kept on crying even when Algie got to her, letting out an enraged scream as he saw the scenery, before embracing her. 

She should have known. True, he had never seemed to hate It no matter what they tried, but they had thought he had understood. Beyond his fascination for Herbology, he was careful to not show It. Not after all the punishments when he Displayed as a child. They had been so fearful when he kept Displaying and never did any normal accidental magic. Until that one time Algie threw him out the window in desperation and instead of It he had used accidental magic. They had been so grateful! After that their little Neville never Displayed again. 

But. This summer. He had come home changed. More confident. So much like his father she had dismissed it at first, thinking proudly he was coming to finally be a great wizard. And a few days ago, after one outing to Diagon Alley he had been reserved, but still the same. Or she had thought. She stared mournfully at the hidden building. She had miscalculated. She had been so sure he had forgotten about it, she hadn’t heed the warnings. 

And now they were all in danger. The pulsing of the forest brought a shiver over the small group of people standing in front of the Place. It was time to call for a Family Emergency. 

::: 

They had changed. The soul shards had fucking changed. Harry stared incredulously at them, as they danced one around the other as if mocking him for their actions. Actually, they seemed to be twining together, a thing he had not expected at all. Just as he had not expected them to change. 

He remembered very clearly when Death had handed him the amulet and showed him how to store the slivers inside. At the moment, only the one from him and from the diary was inside. The one that came from Harry’s horcrux had been tiny and pitch black, contrasting with the diary’s one, a dull white and huge in comparison. But now, the tiny one had grown almost the same size of the other, getting a grey color and the largest one wrapped around it as of trying to become one. 

The wriggling in his hand reminded him that he still had to complete the transfer of the soul shard from the ring’s horcrux to the amulet. He looked at the amulet wary, unsure if he should let the shard come into contact with others, seeing their inexplicable behavior. However he shrugged and finished the transfer, guessing that as Death had created the amulet maybe that was supposed to happen. He hoped. 

As soon as the new piece was inside, the other two became agitated, almost as if they were excited. In fact, the amulet grew warm for a few seconds until they calmed down. He swore to himself to keep an eye on them, to make sure nothing too strange happened. 

He laid the amulet down in his dresser, and then took out the ring from where he had hidden it. As soon as he had seen the mark engraved on the stone – one that he knew very well, as it was death’s mark – he had known this ring was a very important and powerful object. It oozed power and magic, and most importantly, Death Magick surrounded it. And somehow, he knew if Death found out this was in his possession It would not be pleased. So, working with his Mage Sight, he had formed some wards around the stone so that hopefully Death wouldn't notice its presence, though he suspected that no matter what wards he used if he ever brought the stone out whilst in Death's presence, It would feel the stone instantly. 

He really needed to make sure the stone was out of his reach, as well as figuring out what did it do. Maybe some of the Reapers knew something? But that meant the possibility that Death could find out, and he didn't want that. 

Sighing, he touched lightly the stone and put it back on the secret compartment. He had a feeling that the symbol was the place where he should look for, and maybe the Reapers wouldn't suspect anything if he asked about that. Some of them had warmed up to him after watching his success on his assignments, and most accepted him as a fellow Reaper. He traced the mark on his palm, and nodded. Next time he went to Death's Realm he would make time to ask them, with luck he might get his answers.


	7. Chapter 7

It knew something was wrong, ant it had something to do with Its newest Reaper, Harry Potter. Death turned his gaze onto the boy once more, but nothing seemed out of place. It watched as he was reprimanded once again by one of the older Reapers, and he answered back, which was just normal for him, stubborn as he was. He searched for anything unusual surrounding him, however it really seemed as if everything was okay.

Death did not like this sense of foreboding It was feeling, nor the niggling at the back of Its consciousness, warning him of something important, which increased each time he looked on one Harry Potter.

It knew the change had happened a few days ago, when the young Reaper had gone after another horcrux and Death had been busy with an influx of souls, and some of them extremely powerful and important. And even checking the old and ruined shack had not told It anything, other than an horcrux had been there and Death Magick had been used.

Death was certainly powerful, and could be at many places at once, but It had created Its Reapers and other creatures for a reason, so It could delegate some of the more mundane workload of collecting souls on them and It could focus on more important and demanding matters. It was one of the reasons Death always chooses specific individuals to be Its Reapers, and then marked them to infuse Its power on them and slowly influence them until they were completely loyal to It. That way, It could trust them and not have to worry they would try to overpower Death, and at the same time It got out of some of the more tedious work.

But maybe It should have been a little more closely to check nothing was amiss, and then It wouldn’t have this inkling that something was going to happen. And It wasn’t sure it would be a good thing.

 

 

Harry sneered and ignored the other Reaper, walking away from him and his lecture. He was fed up with all this stealth exercises, he was able to work just fine without them, so why did they insist on forcing him to learn all of that. His instructor was yelling after him to come back, but Harry just was not in the mood of more useless drivel, he needed a break.

Besides, lately he had been feeling something watching him, and he was pretty sure the source was Death, it reminded him of the early days of summer when he was getting used to being a Grim Reaper and Death checked on him constantly and looked over his progress. But It had stoped doing that after he did his First Kill and started advancing greatly. That It was suddenly watching him again was worrying him and making him twitchy and nervous, specially when his mind drifted to the Stone hidden behind strong wards. He stopped that train of thought abruptly and instead reached for a blade in the training room, facing one of the training dummies.

They were like nothing he could have ever imagined, made entirely of black smoke that reeked of Death Magick, and were incredibly difficult to defeat. The dummies were able to shoot multiple spells, move constantly, and use shadowy weapons, and since they were made of smoke, disabling them was nearly impossible, as most of the spells he knew just went through them. Only Death Magick was effective against them, and even then they could take a lot of damage before being defeated.

Thankfully, he had been picking up on more and more Death Magick, and he was eager to use some of his new spells against it. The shadowy figure raised a small sword of dull grey smoke, and charged. Harry easily sidestepped it and swiped his dagger with one hand while with the other shot a spell. The figure blocked the dagger and the spell only graced it, stoping it for a second in which Harry moved around stabbing with his dagger and shooting spikes of Death Magick as if they were blades at a fast pace. His dagger was repelled once again, and most of the Black Spikes missed, but one of them struck it on its side, and by the way the figure was moving, it had certainly done some damage. And had enraged it.

Harry jumped back and blocked its sword while trying to dodge the sudden flood of spells, barely managing to avoid them. He was forced to retreat and put some distance, casting a small shield. With a wave of hand, the room filled with grey smoke, and since the figure was made entirely of deep dark smoke, it was still visible through the it while the grey smoke did a good job hiding him from it. Harry went around it and slowly got closer, but suddenly the figure turned around and struck him. He hissed and clutched his side as he retreated, but the figure was following him somehow even with the smoke. Harry swore and blocked every attack, wondering how in the hell was the figure able to watch him, and growled when he got another cut on his arm. It seemed to be deep, and was really painful, which made difficult using the arm. He clenched his teeth and tried to make the figure back away, but he could hardly shoot any offensive spells, and was being forced to be on the defensive again and again. He saw an opening and darted towards it, slashing the figure as he escaped, and receiving a burn on his back as he retreated. He got out of the training arena where his instructor and another Reaper were watching. His instructor was sneering at him while the other Reaper – if he was not mistaken, he was some kind of healer – just smirked at him, and with a glare his instructor left the room. Harry narrowed his eyes to the other Reaper, who came close to him.

“Do you know why you lost?” he asked, while he waved a pale hand over the cut of his arm. Harry scowled and started to heal the cut on his side which was bleeding.

“No,” he murmured and turned around so the other could heal the burn on his back “it shouldn’t have been able to see me.”

“It couldn’t see you,” the Reaper confirmed and smirked at his confused and annoyed look. “It was _hearing_ you.” Harry scoffed and repaired his clothes, intending to avoid another likely lecture on stealth, but the Reaper blocked his way. “Listen, I know, we _all_ know that you despise stealth and it is not something you excel at. But, even if most of our jobs can be done without it, there are some that _require_ we make use of our best stealth. By refusing to try to get better, you’re only hindering yourself, and you’ll never get to do anything other than collecting souls and a few side jobs. It might be fine for a time, but trust me, you’ll get tired of it and come to enjoy the more demanding jobs, with require, guess what? _Stealth._ Don’t disregard something that could be useful to you in the future, any advantage you have is a good thing to have. Okay?”

Harry wanted to ignore the other, but annoyingly he couldn’t find it in himself to get mad at the other, not when what he said made sense. He had been so sure that he would finally be able to defeat the figure, but it was obvious after his fight that he still had to improve, and deep down he knew to Reaper was right. That didn’t mean he was happy with it, and with a glare he turned away, biting down a scathing remark when the other started laughing.

“My name is Mako! Till next time, young one!”

 

 

The screaming resonated in the large room, and the figures kneeling on the ground tried to avoid flinching and drawing the attention of the Dark Lord. Macnair had been sent to the werewolves packs to try and form an alliance, but Macnair had been unable to find the most important and influencing ones, and the rest of smaller packs didn’t want any part in the war. The Dark Lord had not been pleased to know Macnair had been unsuccessful, and now he was suffering for his failure. After a long round of Crucios, Voldemort finally let him go, and Macnair rose up shaking and went to a corner, twitching and suppressing his moans of pain.

“Do any of you fools have any good news, or am I to remind you to do better again?” hissed the Dark Lord, filling the room with his oppressive magic. After a moment of hesitation, a figure moved in the small crowd and cowering kneeled in front of him, not wishing to invoke his wrath.

“My lord,” he rasped, “yesterday, a half-vampire approached me. He says he knows someone who might be interested in our cause.”

“Oh?” Voldemort leaned forward, his red eyes staring at the man at his feet, “and who might be this person?”

“Well,” the man licked his lips, and continued, “it appears that he is a young man who appeared early in the summer. He is very powerful, and has been making contacts around Knockturn. He usually comes to Poison, and has been known to defeat some known wizards. Up until now, he has not showed much interest in anything, he uses Dark Magic regularly and seems to despise the Ministry.”

“I see. And what is his name” Voldemort inquired.

“He is known by the name of Noir”, a murmur passed through the crowd, most of them recognizing the name. Voldemort widened a fraction his eyes, almost unnoticeable unless you were looking closely. He had heard from his Inner Circle about the man, who had been able to defeat even Dolohov, one of his best fighters “Lucius.” He called suddenly, and he saw the man repress a twitch.

“Yes, my lord?”

“Make contact with this person. See if he is trustworthy and is really interested in joining us. Bellatrix, you will assist him in the shadows, ask around, learn what you can about him, spy on him if you can. If he is a threat to us, dispose him. Do not fail me. Go, now.”

“Yes my Lord” they chorused, and bowed, before leaving the room. Some other people came forward, but Voldemort did not pay much attention for the rest of the meeting his mind on the unknown person who had caught his attention.

 

 

It was already getting close to midnight by the time that the meeting finished, and Severus had to report to Dumbledore. Scowling fiercely, he walked up the stairs to the Headmasters office, wishing he could go to sleep and not have to tell the old man what had transpired in the meeting. The Dark Lord had already told him he could inform Dumbledore about most of what had been talked about, but without any details and omitting the plans being made for a future raid against Emmeline Vance.

Severus knew better than to disobey his Lord, but he was aware of the fact that Vance was an Order member and when she died, he needed to have a good excuse so Dumbledore wouldn’t suspect him of withholding information. Of course, he could find a way to warn the Order of the imminent attack, however, Vance had always been against him and he wasn’t fond of anyone in the Order, they would rather kill him than help him in a dangerous situation.

He lamented once again the descent to insanity of the Dark Lord, which led to the death of Lily and the position he found himself in. He didn’t fit in the Order, he was a Dark Wizard, his loyalty was to the Dark, but he couldn’t condone the mindless killing and torture nor would he bow to the creature called Voldemort. So for now he was stuck playing the spy between his two Masters until he found a solution to his problem. Finally arriving to the office, he entered without knocking, knowing that Dumbledore was waiting for him.

Indeed, the Headmaster was seated behind his desk looking over some papers but he greeted him genially and waved to the free seat in front of him. With a sneer, Severus took the seat and waited with a scowl for the Headmaster to deem him important enough to pay him attention.

A few minutes after, the old man put down the papers and looked at him. Severus easily ignored the probe to his mind, knowing that nothing of importance could be detected, and started to report the happening of the meeting at the Headmasters gesture. It didn’t take too long, most of the meeting had been punishments and Crucios thrown around at the least mistake, he did inform the Headmaster of the failing of Macnair, which seemed to please the old man. He decided to not reveal the identity of the victim on the raid being planned, only vaguely mentioning that an attack was being prepared but he did not know against whom. Finally, he informed him of the possible alliance.

“It seems that one of the Dark Lord informants has found someone promising” he watched warily the Headmaster as he straightened and looked at him seriously, urging him to continue. “He is known by the name of Noir, however he is relatively unknown. No one knows his exact motives or aspirations, only that he is Dark.”

“I see” the old man frowned a little when he did not say anything more, but didn’t ask anything else. “If you find anything else inform me at once. In the meantime, I believe it is time for young Harry to be relocated to Grimmauld Place. There lies dangerous times ahead, it is best if he is behind some strong wards surrounded by the Order.”

“I am sure that Potter will be overjoyed”, Severus drawled, a sneer in his face. Of course the Potter brat had to come up in the conversation, when did he not? He did not voice his thought, but since Dumbledore had yet to retire from his mind he was sure to feel the animosity in him. Besides glancing at him in disappointment, he elected to not comment, and soon after he was dismissed.

 

 

Sirius scowled at Kreacher as he passed him muttering under his breath, deciding to watch out for anything the little shit might have done. He knew he was probably being unfair to the old elf, but he was in a bad mood right now and didn’t care what anyone thought. It was already getting close to Harry’s birthday and he was still at those muggles home, and Dumbledore kept intervening any time he tried to get him to come. The Headmaster had asked him to talk after the Order meeting had finished, and the animagus was already preparing himself to try and reason with the old man to bring Harry here.

Remus smiled at him from the couch he was reading on, and nodded to other side of the room. Sirius looked over and saw Dumbledore sitting in an old desk eating some candy, probably those lemon things he loved. As he crossed the room, he noticed a low level ward to avoid someone eavesdropping, though he was sure if someone wanted to listen in they wouldn’t have too much trouble doing so. In fact, looking over to Remus, he noticed the werewolf had yet to pass the page he was reading and he was sitting too still as if to not to draw too much attention to himself.

“Hello, Sirius my boy” the Headmaster greeted him with his twinkling eyes, “have a seat.”

Sirius managed to hold in the comment that it was his home and sat down without protest. “As you know, Harry has remained in his relatives home so he could be protected by the bloodwards. However, now that the wards had been recharged and seeing the troubling times ahead, I believe it would be best if young Harry is here under strong wards and where we can protect him, don’t you agree my boy?”

Sirius barely managed to keep the surprise from his face and rapidly agreed with the Headmaster, thankful he would not have to argue once again with the Headmaster to bring his godson home. Because he was aware that his godson did not consider the Dursley’s home, and had only agreed to go there without a fight for his own reasons.

But now that Harry would come here, maybe he would find out those reasons as well as what he had been doing on Knockturn Alley. Hopefully, he might convince him to be more cautious and not go somewhere so dangerous, although he knew that if Harry wanted to go he wouldn’t be able to stop him even if he wanted to, not if he wished to keep his trust. And he wanted to be trusted so he could advise his godson, even if he decided to keep going to Knockturn.  

The Headmaster only remained a few minutes to discuss when Harry would come and who would go get him. After a brief discussion, the Headmaster allowed him and Remus go collect Harry in two days, and Sirius couldn’t have been happier.

 

 

In the same floor than the dungeons of Malfoy Manor there were a couple of potion labs, and that was were Draco was headed to. Throughout the summer, the only places he could be relatively safe in his home were his room and his godfather’s lab. He had put some wards in his room so he was left alone, and no one dared to bother Severus when he was brewing. Not even Voldemort, as insane as he was, he had enough self-preservation and mind left to know better than to annoy a Potions Master when he was brewing, potions were after all extremely volatile the more complicated they were, and Severus Snape always went for the complicated potions. Draco did not venture to any other places as it could mean facing a Death Eater, his parents or worse yet, Voldemort. For that reason, when he was actually at the manor, he spent most of his time within the labs to escape everybody else.

His godfather thankfully didn’t mind and allowed him to help brew some potions, or just let him brew whatever took his fancy. Since it was too early to go anywhere yet, and he had spotted some Death Eaters outside near the Quidditch Pitch, he decided to visit his godfather for a while.

Inside of the potion lab Severus was stirring a cauldron while with another hand he arranged some ingredient besides the cauldron. Coming close to him, Draco saw that he was brewing a Blood-Replenishing Potion, and his godfather only glanced at him before pushing some Fluxweed towards him. Draco took the cue and started helping him prepare the ingredients and bottle the potions as well as any other help he demanded in curt tones from time to time. After a while, they stopped to wait for the potion to sit in the slow heat for a couple of minutes. The Potions Master went to a nearby table opening a journal and making some annotations. Draco hesitated a little and then reclined on the table, watching the fumes of the potions.

“Uncle Severus?” his godfather raised his head, but Draco didn’t look at him. “Why do you follow the Dark Lord?”

The room stayed silent and Draco was already regretting opening his mouth when he felt his godfather get up and come around the table to stand in front of him. Draco looked up to his godfathers eyes, feeling a presence invade his mind. He didn’t fight him, but also didn’t allow him come too deep inside his mind.

“The Dark Lord is a very powerful wizard, who fights for our rights” answered Severus quietly, watching him carefully. “From what I have gathered, at the beginning he was very focused on what he wanted to achieve, using all resources at his disposition. He wanted freedom of the Dark Creatures, and to abolish all the restrictions in Dark Magic. However, by the time I joined the cause he had… changed.”

His godfather did not explain, but Draco knew what he was talking about. Voldemort had gone insane and he only wanted to kill and torture muggles and muggleborns, as well as anybody who opposed him. He did not care for his followers, nor the Dark witches and wizards who were oppressed. He branded them like slaves and made them work endlessly only to be tortured, while he continued on his path of destruction. Instead of helping them, he was ostracizing them from the rest of the wizarding world and making them another target. Suddenly he realized that he was projecting his feeling and thoughts of Voldemort, and Severus was still within his mind. Just as he was starting to feel panicked, his godfather left his mind and just watched him impassively for a few seconds. Then, unexpectedly, he turned back to the table and sat down, opening once again his journal. Draco just watched him confused, not really sure of what just had happened.

Severus glanced up briefly before concentrating once more on his journal as he muttered, “Go check the potions, Draco,” he paused for a second before drawling, “You are in a need of some revision for your potions, I believe. Drop by my home tomorrow evening, and we will work through this issues. Now, go.”

And with those words his godfather started scribbling, effectively ignoring him. However, Draco did not mind, in fact, he was pretty relieved. It seemed that his godfather was willing to help him, and that he had some kind of plan, he just needed to be there tomorrow at his home. He would make sure that he was there.

 

 

It was warm inside, not hot, just the kind of warmth that enveloped you in a comfortable way, like the hug of a loving mother. Sunlight weaved through the leaves of the high trees surrounding him. Live thrived from everything he touched, the magic pulsing everywhere inviting him home. He could feel it, responding to his call, helping him, guiding him. There was no rush. He did not know how much time had passed, but he was not worried, he would learn all he needed to know in time and that was what mattered. Between his hands, on the ground where he was kneeling, a small sprout was growing. Neville smiled.

 

 

_…the Headmaster wanted to go himself, but I was able to convince him to let Remus and I go instead. So we will be there next Thursday at 5 p.m. Your room is already prepared, it just needs you in it! See you soon, Sirius._

Harry finished reading the short letter that Sirius had sent him, and left it on the table. Thankfully, most of his things were already in his trunk, so he only needed to pack a few things and he would be ready to go. He went around the room, putting his clothes and books back inside the trunk, and making sure nothing was amiss.

He would need to inform either Death or one of his instructors of the change, so they were aware of any difficulties in continuing his training and small jobs. He knew pretty much most of what they needed to teach him anyways, besides Stealth. His instructors were only obligated to teach him the basics after all, now it was just a matter of getting practice and further learning on his own, unless he managed to convince some Reapers to teach him some spells. Maybe Mako might be interested on teaching him some more healing magic. Oh, maybe if he was careful he could also ask the friendly Reaper about the stone and the mark, he had forgotten to ask someone after the disastrous stealth lesson and consequent dueling.

Deciding to check the stone quickly, he opened once again his trunk, opening the secret compartment he had installed at the beginning of summer. He checked with his Mage Sight the strength of the wards, and added a few ones he had learned recently. It all seemed to be alright.

_Or, maybe not_ , he thought as he glanced at the horcrux amulet. Widening his eyes, he took it out and closed his trunk. The soul shards inside the crystal amulet were all about the same size, he could not even identify which one was the one that had been inside his scar. In fact, as he looked closer, they seemed to have merged with each other at some points, as they moved around some tiny strands of one shard attached themselves to the ones of a different one. The colors had changed as well, they were all the same light grey. Harry looked incredulously at the shards as they seemed to feel him and started to move faster, like they were excited. As he watched them warily, they calmed down and returned to the slow movement around the amulet. He didn’t know what to think, so he decided that it was best not to think about it. Death had created the amulet, and It had not explained its properties to him, so he decided that it was something normal. Carefully he took the amulet, suppressing a shudder as the shards moved around excitedly once again and put it away with the ring. Once he was at Grimmauld Place with his godfather, he would have more time to observe both the ring and the amulet, and maybe he would get some answers by then. For now, it was better to leave it be.

 


End file.
